Back To The Beginning
by giraffeduelist
Summary: When Toshinori Yagi was only a young child, he learned what it meant to be quirkless. Those lessons are why he decided to tell Izuku Midoriya that he couldn't be a hero because everyone he'd ever known told him so. AKA, My own take on All Might's origin story.
1. Chapter 1

Toshinori remembered how happy his family was before he got diagnosed with a disability.

When he was two, he had a dinosaur birthday party with all seven of his Mother's friend's children. He distinctly remembered dressing in his T-rex costume -the one he got for halloween about six months ago- and he wore it proudly. He paraded around the dining room until his mother, kindhearted and sweet, directed him to his father's office to keep the kitchen clean.

Back then, his father would easily stop reading his student's essays and would start playing games, reading books and showing off the quirk he had. It wasn't a very powerful quirk, but it made playing pretend so much better. He could mimic the voices of anyone or anything he's already heard. When they played with Toshinori's little plastic dinosaur figures, he would roar and growl like a real dinosaur. He would pretend to be a park ranger or a helpless officer, devoured by the mighty dino-Toshi.

"Oh no! Watch out, ! Dino-toshi's going to eat you!" One voice cried.

"There's no saving me now, General. Leave me to the dinosaurs!" Another responded as Toshinori pretended to chomp off his father's left arm.

When the other children arrived, a few wore their own costumes as well. The party itself was a blur of playing and laughing, but the part Toshinori remembered best of it was how his mother smiled. She laughed along with the other parent about adult things, she sang him a special birthday song as she set the cake on the table and even after everyone had left, she hugged him and called him her special boy.

Back then, Toshinori could see how much his parents loved each other. When he was unwrapping the small pile of gifts, they sat together, Dad's arms wrapped around his Mom's waist. They took pictures of him and fed each other cake, which made Toshinori laugh. They seemed so perfect for each other.

When Toshinori grew out of his dinosaur phase, he started reading comic books. Mom bought him three issues out of the love of her heart and continued to ask him about his favorite heroes, listening to his every word. She smiled at his hero drawings and gave him little tips. She had gone to school for drawing and knew a thing or two about shading. Toshinori wouldn't have gotten so good at drawing if she hadn't helped him.

When he started fully investing himself into his study of fictional heroes, he started neglecting his social needs. The few friends he had slowly stopped visiting and eventually faded away into a life beyond his care. That's when his parents decided it was time to make him put the comics down. He remembered being upset at the time, screaming and crying, desperate to keep his comics.

"Please! Please!" He sobbed, kneeling on the floor and clutching at his shirt. He choked and hiccuped.

"I'm sorry, Toshi, but you can't just neglect everything else. We aren't throwing them away, just putting them in time out." His mother explained in a tired, yet apologetic voice.

He was about six then. With his comics and hero drawings tucked away in the attic, he decided to give more focus on his own quirk. Or, rather, trying to find whatever quirk he must've had. A few others in his class were beginning to show quirks and by the end of the year, he and three others were the only ones without them. He waited patiently for something to come up.

Only a few months later, Toshinori's parents took him to the doctor. He was nearly past the typical late bloomer stage and still hadn't found a quirk. Of course, there was always a possibility that it could be a well hidden quirk, but that's what visiting the doctor was for, wasn't it? Some people were immune to radioactivity, or could breathe in water. How was he supposed to figure that out unless they asked a professional?

The doctor took blood samples, urine samples and tested a strand of hair for his DNA. They were told to come back a week later for the answers. All of them were quiet on the ride back. Mother complained about then taking so much just to tell them to come back. Father tried to calm her by explaining that scientists were still trying to find the differences between those who had quirks and the quirkless. Toshinori stayed quiet the entire ride. Fear began gnawing at his insides. What if he was quirkless? What if he would never get a quirk?

Toshinori stayed up late that night, trying to come to terms with the possibility. If he was quirkless, his parents would still love him. It would be fine. He would be okay. He didn't need superpowers to help others. He'd already managed to help people as he was, so being quirkless couldn't be that bad, right?

"It's safe to assume that your son's quirkless. Although we're not entirely sure where the mutation comes from, it's clear that he won't devepe a quirk any time soon. Thank you for your time." The doctor spoke sadly, as if someone had died.

Toshinori remembered his mother going silent, looking three seconds from either bursting into flames or fainting.

His father cried the entire ride back. Mother had to drive, which made Toshinori feel unsafe. She didn't look like she was watching the road but they hadn't switved off the road yet, so maybe she was? Her hands gripped the steering wheel a little too tightly and she nearly ran three red lights. Toshinori wanted to run away from the fear.

He remembered hearing his parents yell later that night, when he was supposed to be asleep because there was school tomorrow. His mother screamed, saying things that he couldn't understand back then. His father argued back, although his sobs were echoing through the house. His quirk was out of control, his voice cracking into different voices.

"This is all your fault! If I hadn't married you, then this wouldn't have happened! I should've known better than to try having a child with someone with quirkless relatives!" She screamed.

"Honey, people! You're just upset. You don't mean this."

"What am I supposed to do with a quirkless re-"

It only got worse from there. Toshinori was too scared to keep listening. He whimpered quietly to himself, his hands pressed firmly to his ears. His head ached from the pressure, but he couldn't stop. He hoped it would be the only time this happened. The arguments followed him into his dreams.

Toshinori remembered having to turn in the doctor's note in front of the entire class the very next day. The teacher let out a long sigh and told him to sit down. She announced that he was quirkless to the class.

"Please treat him with extra care and don't expect him to play with you. It can be hard for a quirkless kid to keep up with normal children." She spoke about him like he was deaf.

They continued the lesson and pretended like he existed. Halfway through the day, someone pulled him from the class as the other students went outside to play. They walked him to another room and told him to sit and color. There were only three others in the classroom.

"This is Toshinori. He'll be joining our class while everyone else goes to recess. I know you're probably disappointed, but this is for your own safety. It's too dangerous for kids like you to play with normal children."

Toshinori remembered going home and crying. His mother had left to pick up groceries but his father held him, hugging him tighter than he had before. He let Toshinori eat ice cream from the carton and got his comics down from the attic. They watched TV together, a bowl of popcorn between the two of them. Toshinori couldn't bring himself to laugh at his favorite jokes.

"Am I stupid?"

"Toshi, what are you talking about?" His father fretted. "You're the smartest, most talented kid I've ever met! You draw heroes and-"

"Then why does everyone treat me like I don't understand them? Like I can't hear?"

Toshinori remembered watching his father go silent. He stopped watching the move, stopped smiling and looking down at his hands. His black hair hung in front of his face.

"I don't know, buddy."

Their special time was cut short when Mom came home. She walked with heavy footsteps, marching through the house like a big villain. She huffed and sighed, throwing her keys into the bowl next to the front door and stopped in the hall, watching them. Dad told him to get up and take his comics to his room. Toshinori hesitated, looking between the two of them, but obeyed. The second he shut his door, the yelling started again.

"Honey, please. He had a hard day at school and needed it. I can get you more ice cream, I promise. It's my fault, not his."

"I don't care how hard his day was! I'm the one that has to work for food! I have to spend money on that stupid little brat to live here! I should get to say what he eats!"

"I work too, Amanda! I teach over 200 students every. Single. Day! I do just as much as you do!"

"When will you learn?! This thing is sapping out money just by existing! In fact-"

Toshinori remembered how his mother cursed. She spoke the worst words he'd heard and they were all referring to him. Toshinori bit his pillow to keep from making a noise, even though it would likely get drowned out in the yelling. This was all his fault. His parents hated each other because of him. Mom cursed because of him. None of them were happy anymore, because of him.

…

The fighting kept getting worse and worse, until it happened nearly every day. Mom would come home and scream. Dad would cry and plead for her to stop. Toshinori remembered hearing his mother hit him for the first time. It rang through the house like a bell, echoing into nothing. Toshinori slowly crawled out of bed, dragging the blanket with him, and peeked through the crack under his door.

He couldn't see anything from the small slit, so he quietly opened his door, careful to make no sound. He watched them sit on the floor, his father's hand resting on his face. Mother knelt in front of him, sobbing and trying to touch him, but he flinched away. Mom apologized to him quietly but Dad didn't move. He slowly stood up and left, the front door slamming behind him.

When Mom started sobbing harder, Toshinori quietly stepped out of the room. He stood still, freezing in place. She dragged herself to the kitchen, pulling out a green bottle and sank down against the fridge. The lights were off in the kitchen, but Toshinori could still tell she was sobbing.

He made his way toward her, walking on the tips of his feet to keep his steps quiet. She looked up at him once he entered the kitchen. She sighed and took another long drink, a stream of the liquid trailing down her mouth.

"Mom?" he whispered. It still felt too loud.

She set the bottle down and sighed again. "You know…" She started, not caring to whisper like he did. She stared at the cabinets in front of her before turning her gaze to him. "This is your fault."

Toshinori's hands shook, but he kept them still by clutching at his nightshirt. "I know."

"Good." She replied, taking another drink. She continued speaking after emptying the bottle. "You know, we used to love each other. Kina was so cute. He visited America a long time ago but begged me to come back to Japan with him. We got married here." She whispered something in English before starting up again. "He gave me flowers every day. He wrote me letters, even though we lived together. When we found out we were having a kid...we cried from joy. Our perfect little family was finally coming true."

Toshinori's head ached, but he ignored it.

"Then we had you; a spoiled, disabled little brat. Now look at us." She threw the bottle onto the hard tile floor, making Toshinori jump. His heart raced as he stared at the spot where it hit. She didn't get up or even move. "You made me hurt him, Toshi. I wouldn't have done it…"

"What should I-"

"Shut up!"

Toshinori jumped again, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

"I'm leaving. I can't live with you here, so I'll leave. Kina loved you too much...I couldn't just get rid of you." She slowly got up from her spot on the floor and Toshinori backed away from the entrance of the kitchen. He didn't feel safe. She walked toward him slowly, grabbing his arm with her extinction quirk. Her fingernails dug into his skin, but didn't draw blood. "If you ever try to look for me, I'll kill your father." She hissed, then let go.

Her movements were sloppy, but she managed to gather a bag full of clothes and a few other things before heading toward the door. Toshinori felt tears fun down his face as she watched her leave. He would never see her again.

Dad came back three hours later, another green bottle in his hand. He wobbled into the master bedroom and shut the door behind him. Toshinori didn't bother to follow him in. He fell asleep past midnight, kept up by the pictures of her. Would Dad hate him now? Because he made Mom leave?

Toshinori wished that he could die in his sleep, if it'd make Mom come back. If it meant that Dad could be happy again. She was right. He did ruin their lives. This was all his fault.

Author's Notes: So, I've done a little with All Might's backstory, but I just wanted to make a series to fully represent how I see his birth family and his uprising. There will be quite a bit of angst, but I promise that it will have happy times too, just significantly less.


	2. Chapter 2

Toshinori pretended he was sick the next morning. He might've actually been since the thermometer read a fever, but he didn't find any harm in exaggerating his stomach ache.

Dad moved sluggishly and groaned about his headache during breakfast. He had gotten a cup of coffee, which wasn't normal for him, and ate cereal with Toshinori. Neither of them said a word through all of breakfast. Toshinori couldn't fight the reminder of Mom leaving and felt like if he tried to speak, he might cry. If he cried, then Dad would know she left, so he stayed silent.

This was his fault. If he hadn't tried to help Mom after their fight, she wouldn't have left. If he hadn't gone to the doctor, been quirkless, then Mom wouldn't have left. If he was anyone else but himself, then Mom wouldn't have left. Toshinori fought the tears that pricked at the back of his eyes, scooping another spoonful of cereal into his mouth to keep quiet. He couldn't cry if he was eating.

Dad groaned and set his cup down, rubbing at his eyes and head. He sighed out and took another drink before getting up and walking to the bathroom. Toshinori wanted him return with a bottle of medicine -the same he had just given Toshinori for his fever- and he sat back down. Peeking over the top of the cereal box, he watched Dad count out six pills and take all of them at once. His face contorted in a grimace, but went back to the same, tired expression he wore all morning within a few seconds.

Toshinori sunk back down into his chair and swallowed. He went to take another bite, but hesitated. His stomach started to twist and he covered his mouth with one hand. He took several deep breaths through his nose until the nausea left. He uncovered his mouth and let out a long breath. That was close. If he started vomiting, he might get in trouble. Last time he got sick, Mom made him clean it up and didn't let him lay down until he finished.

The thought of getting in trouble made the tears start running. He would get in trouble no matter what he did. Mom left because of him, so Dad was going to get mad. Chills ran up his arms and made him cold. He covered his mouth again, biting into the skin on his fist to keep quiet. He sunk further into his seat, trying to hide from Dad's view.

What if Dad started saying mean things like Mom did? What if Dad grabbed him because he made Mom leave? What if Dad left too? The sobbs got louder and he bit harder into his hand to stay quiet, but all his efforts eventually fell short when his nose started to run. When he felt a large, warm hand on his pack, he let go of his hand and openly cried.

"I-I'm sorry...I didn't-didn't mean to!" He hid his face in his hands. Mom always said he was ugly anyway.

"Toshi." Dad whispered, his tone a strange mixture tired and surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry!" HIs entire body shook with every sob. If he admitted to making Mom leave, then he'd get punished. "I'm sorry. I...I don't want...please." He gasped and choked on his words.

"Hey, hey. It's alright, Toshi. It's alright." Those warm hands circled around him, lifting him up from his chair and walked him to the living room. They sat down together on the couch, Toshinori curled up in Dad's lap. Dad's warm voice hushed him softly. "Do you want your song?"

Toshinori slowly nodded. His throat was starting to hurt from crying and he just wanted to stop. His chest pulled and he gasped softly, trying to lessen the pressure.

Dad changed his voice and began singing. It was like listening to a recording, but better. The sound was clear and new. Toshinori could feel the vibrations and let them lull him out of his panic. The song repeated in a hum, a warm hand stroking through his hair. Dad still smelled like his morning coffee but he didn't mind it so much anymore. After the second repeat, the singing stopped and Dad's voice returned, low but soothing. "I'm sorry, my boy. I shouldn't have left you two alone last night. I shouldn't have...I should've been stronger." His voice trailed away and his words confused Toshinori. Dad was the strongest man alive, decide Mudman -but Mudman wasn't necessarily alive.

Dad drew in a shaky breath, the stuttered vibrations humming on Toshinori's back. "I'm sorry she hurt you, Toshi." A warm hand brushed over the sharp marks on his arm, where Mom's nails bruised him. "She just...I'm sorry she doesn't love you like I do. I don't know why, but...maybe if we hadn't…" He paused and shook his head. "Nevermind. I love you, Toshi. Okay?"

Toshinori nodded as he spoke, his voice cracking with nearly every word. "I love you too."

…

Neither of them admitted that Mom had left, but they knew. It showed in the silence filling the house, though it was much preferred over the yelling. It showed in the way Dad worked, slaving over piles of paperwork every single day. It showed in the way Toshinori became dependent. He started walking to the bus stop alone by the age of nine and even went grocery shopping for Dad every Saturday.

It wasn't hard to travel around Tokyo alone. There were plenty of signs and people to help him find his way around the tall buildings and wide streets. Sometimes, Dad would give Toshinori a little extra money to get himself a treat, but it was typically only enough for a small candy bar. Toshinori didn't mind, though. A treat was a treat and as rare as it happened, he enjoyed it. The shopping lists weren't typically long, just a few cans of soup, some rice and maybe some veggies. There wasn't much variety in afternoon meals but after Toshinori started learning to use the oven and how to read a recipe, he started making his own grocery lists.

When the arrangement started, the parents that rode the bus with him looked at him the way the store cashier did. At first, they had looked around the bus for a parent or guardian, but after a week or so, they stopped. Toshinori didn't find it sad or concerning. He just wanted to help Dad out and if that meant going to the store every Saturday, then he'd do it.

Toshinori remembered one particular Saturday. He had been nearly 12 then. Dad was working on a big project and needed Toshinori to spend a bit more time out of the house to not distract him, so he got a bit of extra money to go to the arcade down the street. On that Saturday, there had been a big prison break. Almost thirty villains were on the loose, reeking havoc however they wanted. Toshinori missed the news report about it as he walked out the front door.

The bus ride was uneventful as ever but the extra money in his pocket felt like a new secret. Like he'd been given a birthday gift, something special. Just for him. It hadn't been a shy amount either. Sure, it wouldn't grant him access to all the arcade had to offer, but he could manage about an hour of games.

On his way to the store, Toshinori passed a new store: Heroes In General. He couldn't help but stop and stare. It was a comic book store. Those were getting more rare with the new laws for real heroes getting passed. If there were real heroes parading around the streets, then why would anyone want to read about the fake ones? Toshinori hated the idea that the people who ran around their streets called themselves heroes. They were just villains who were paid by the government. They didn't save lives, they just hurt those who could've potentially put others in danger. Toshinori had heard about heroes accidentally killing villains and even civilians with their quirks. There was a recent case about a hero arresting someone with a spike mutation quirk and they were locked up simply because they "looked threatening."

Toshinori pushed the glass door open and looked around the isles. There were a few others in the shop, but not many. He let his fingers trace the many comics books and magazines before coming across anything he hadn't read before. He owned only a few of them, but the local library provided a good selection. He stopped and looked at the book front and back. It was wrapped in plastic to avoid getting read in the shop and decreasing its value.

It was one of the last volumes of Mudman ever published. He had been one of Toshinori's very favorite heroes, but with the new political stances, that too fell out of business. He remembered reading it on Dad's computer and how he cried. Toshinori checked the spare change he had again, debating whether it would be worth getting or not. The library would likely get rid of all their copies soon, since most of them were so old and misused they were practically shreds. Maybe having a brand new coy would be nice.

"Hey, kid. If you even think about taking that, I'll bash your head in." Toshinori jumped at the voice and nearly ripped the magazine in half.

"No! No, I was just looking!" He shook his head, holding the comic close. Great. He was already attached to it.

The short man gave him a disapproving huff before walking away. Toshinori slowly turned away and put the comic back. It wasn't worth wasting Dad's money. He let out a long breath and continued to look around the isles. Not long after, he found a game section but nothing was really within his price range. There were a few action figures and pins, but nothing too interesting. The comic came into mind again. Technically, a comic book would last longer than a trip to the arcade. Besides, Dad always liked to see him reading, so wouldn't it be better for both of them?

Toshinori picked up the comic again and headed for the front desk. It wasn't being dishonest. Dad wanted him out of the house for a few hours and he could just spend the time reading. The park should be five blocks or so away. The plan was perfect. Well, except for one detail. The man already at the counter had a gun out and was shouting at everyone to get down or he'd shoot.

Toshinori could hear knees hitting the floor from the three other customers. He saw them kneel before he had even finished his sentence. The man kept yelling things at the cashier, asking for him to fill the bag with money and quickly.

There was a phone near the front entrance of the store, just above a woman's head. There was also a call button on the side of the counter. Every store had one, Toshinori knew that. Making eye contact with the woman below the phone, he hissed and gestured to the phone. She looked up at it but shook her head, somehow curling further into herself.

"Move faster! I'll blow your head off if the heroes show up!"

It made Toshinori mad. How could someone be too scared to take a clear call for help? How could someone with a gun quirk control others so easily. Even the cashier was too scared to reach for the small button. It wouldn't make a sound. The villain wouldn't even know, but he didn't even try.

Toshinori rose to his feet, messenger bag sagging against his side and money jiggling in his pocket. He gripped the comic book tighter in his hand. He sucked in a long breath before running toward the villain. As he ran, he grabbed one of the large display cases and used his momentum to smash in into the villain's back. The case shattered, sending shards of glass and action figures everywhere. The villain screamed, arching his back and falling to the floor.

It took almost a minute of the villain staying on the floor, shouting about the pain in his back, before the cashier pressed the button. The police were there before the villain could even stand.

Everything else happened quickly. Police strapped the pan with quirk suppression cuffs and walked him out, grimacing at the cuts in his back. Toshinori stood still, a few shards sticking to his hand. One of the officers asked the cashier who had broken the case and when she was directed to Toshinori, her amazed expression fell. In all honesty, he'd expected a lecture. After having to admit to being quirkless, the disappointed expression fell even further.

"You do realize that you won't have been able to help yourself had he gotten up and decided to shoot you."

Toshinori kept his arguments to himself. Anyone else would've been just as defenseless.

"Do you realize how much property you'd destroyed with your fake heroics? You'll be lucky if the owner doesn't sue your parents for letting you out alone."

Dad would hate him if he got sued for something Toshinori did. He wouldn't blame him.

"I'm calling your parents. Do you have a phone number or address to give me?"

Toshinori couldn't ignore her this time. "Ma'am, I'm sorry! You don't need to call anyone! I won't repeat this aga-"

"Officer, I'll handle him." The cashier gave Toshinori a dark look. Suddenly, calling Dad didn't seem so bad.

"Alright. I apologize, sir. Have a good day."

Once the police cars had left, the cashier tore the magazine from his hands. He hadn't even realized he was still holding it. The same magazine came down on his head several times. "You're stupid, kid. I better not see you in here again, little thief. Now get out."

Toshinori nodded slowly before running out. At least he had avoided bothering Dad. Maybe he'd be better off at the arcade anyway.

A new idea bloomed into his mind. If people had someone to count on to feel safe, then maybe villains wouldn't feel too powerful. Like a lucky charm. What if there was someone that could make everyone safe? Like a Symbol of safety and security. A Symbol of Peace.

…

When Toshinori got home with the groceries and half the money he'd been given for games, Dad was on the floor. At first, he looked like he might've fallen asleep working -he liked to stretch out while typing on his computer- but one look around told him that Dad had been drinking. There were a few empty beer cans and not a single sign that he'd been working.

Typically, when Dad drank, it was out of the house and late at night. Toshinori hated seeing it now. Had Dad kicked him out to drink? Of course he did. He didn't want to worry about a stupid child while trying to forget about Mom. Toshinori was probably more of a reminder than distraction. His blonde hair, broad nose and blue eyes. Even his tanned skin came from Mom. How had Dad not left him yet? Toshinori wondered every day.

The drinking became more and more common from that Saturday on. Dad eventually stopped making Toshinori leave when he drank but he was never available during that time. If Dad walked into his room with a can of beer or a bottle of whiskey, he was no longer a parent. Toshinori didn't have the right to count on anyone but himself for those long hours until his hangover wore off.

As Dad started drinking more and more often, they stopped communicating. Sometimes, the only time they'd actually talk was when dinner was ready or on a holiday. By the time Toshinori was 14, Dad drank nearly every day. Sometimes, late at night, he'd use his quirk to pretend Mom was still there and it haunted Toshinori. Hearing her say Dad's name reminded him of yelling and screaming. Curses and slurs all thrown at their useless child. Of course, Dad never said those things. He whispered sweet nothings to himself and that made Toshinori's heart break.

Toshinori had gone a full week without speaking to Dad -a record time- the day he met Nana.

Author's Notes: I didn't mention anything about school in this, but I figured that others just ignored quirkless people instead of straight up abusing them like Izuku. In this time, there were more quirkless people, but it was still rare. Izuku's time is worse for quirkless individuals, though.


	3. Chapter 3

Toshinori had done it again. He ran into a dangerous situation with only his fists as weapons. This time, though, someone had been there to save him from a dangerous situation.

He had been walking back from school when a villain caused a massive car wreck in a major intersection. There were cars overturned and others were completely off the road, but no one dared to leave. The villain sat in the middle of the chaos, laughing at his success. He sent out a bolt of flames toward a few of the cars, mocking the screams of those inside.

A fire lit in Toshinori's eyes and he was running before he could even register what was happening. This time, he hadn't made an attempt for the villain, knowing there was nothing he could do. He went for the quirk burning cars instead, opening the side doors and yelling at the passengers to get out as quickly as possible. He had made it to the second car when the ash began to build up, making him cough. The ash began to circle around him and the smoke became too much, the coughing turning into desperate gasps for air and gags. He couldn't breathe.

He held his throat, holding his mouth open. His lungs burned from both the smoke and lack of oxygen. His head began to go fuzzy and the colors on the cars around him blurred. The ash burned his eyes and tears started streaming down his cheeks. His chest felt as if it were on fire from the inside and his panic rose. He would die like this.

A strong blow to the villain just a few feet to his left made the heat lessen, but the smoke was still too thick to breathe. The world faded into darkness and the last thing Toshinori felt was his head hitting the hard concrete.

…

Toshinori woke up again with a burning throat but at least he could breathe. His chest heaved and his heart raced. He was alive. He hadn't died in the middle of the street, but how? Unless someone helped him out…

"I thought I lost you there, kid!" A loud, feminine voice shouted right above him.

Toshinori opened his eyes to a hero standing above him. He yelped in surprise but immediately regretted the action. His throat only let out a sick croak, rubbing his vocal cords raw. He could really use some water.

"That was pretty crazy, what you did. No one should just run into an attack like that, especially without protection against a quirk like that. If I hadn't seen you, you would've probably suffocated."

Toshinori knew he should've been listening to her lecture, but he couldn't help but stare. She looked like a hero straight out of his comics. Her dark cape moved in the wind, catching a few stray particles of ash. So, it mustn't have been very long since the attack. How long had he passed out for?

"Hey, are you listening? Is this the way you treat every hero that saves you?!" She frowned at him, her hands on her hips. Although she was obviously upset, she felt...safe. She was just like the heroes he read about nearly every day.

Her lecture started to register. "I'm sorry." He croaked, his throat protesting the words. "I just wanted to help."

She huffed out a sigh and shook her head. "What's the point in helping if you just end up hurt? Protect yourself so that you can protect others too. What good are you if you're dead?"

Toshinori ignored the last part because he actually had an argument for it. Instead of responding, he focused on standing up and dusted off his uniform. Dad probably wouldn't care that he was late. He was just drinking anyway. Would Dad even notice if Toshinori never came back? The answer made his chest ache more than it already did. "I'm sorry." He muttered.

"What's your name, kid?" She asked, ignoring his apology.

"Yagi Toshinori." He mutters. He hoped she didn't ask for his address. He didn't think he could handle disappointing Dad right now.

"What kind of quirk do you have?"

He could feel shame was over him. "I'm quirkless, Ma'am." His voice grew softer.

She seemed to think about this for a while before sighing. "Look, I don't really have the time to take you home, but I can call one of my trusted friends to-"

"Wait!" He didn't mean to interrupt her but once he had, he couldn't stop talking. "Do you notice it? The way no one ever smiled? Everyone's so scared and angry all the time." He felt his hands form into fists as his confidence forced him forward. "I want to make it possible for people to smile again. I want to be someone who can protect others, like a symbol of peace." He stared at her, long and hard. He wasn't completely sure why he'd said anything at all. He might've called it fate, but that was a bit ridiculous.

She seemed to chew on that information for a while. "A symbol you say?" She tilted her head this way and that. "Well, I can agree with you. With villains around every corner, it's hard for people to feel safe." She met his gaze again, a bright smile on her lips. "You say you want to be a symbol for them, huh? Sounds pretty crazy to me."

Toshinori felt his heart fall. Of course. He shouldn't have expected anything more. She owned him nothing, especially after finding out he's quirkless. If anything, he'd just caused her more trouble.

Before he could dismiss the 'crazy' ideas, she spoke again. "Your quirkless, right? well...I might be able to help you out, Toshi. Meet me here tomorrow morning." She gave him a positive wink then started walking away.

"Wait! Are you serious?!" He couldn't believe it. No one had ever believed him before, let alone attempted to help him. He felt a bright smile pull at the corners of his lips. His chest felt a little less heavy, his heart aching a little less. He felt good. Positive. Happy. For once, Toshinori believed in himself. Maybe he could actually pull this thing off. Maybe he could achieve his dream and help others.

…

Toshinori remembered meeting Nana at the park consecutively for weeks before she finally told him about the nature of her quirk. He had been beyond astonished, not only at the idea of a quirk being passed to someone else, but that she was willing to give one to him. This would solve his problems. He would have a quirk. He would be worth something, finally. He could do something worth noticing. Maybe...no. Mom was long gone. He couldn't change that no matter what he did.

"Now, don't get ahead of yourself, Toshi. We still have to train you up, big and strong." She flicked her arms for emphasis. "If I just gave you my quirk, your limbs would probably blow off!" She made a strange sound effect with the hand motion. "Who's going to take my quirk if you're in bits and pieces." She laughed. It was a bit less funny to Toshinori.

"How will you know when I'm ready?" he couldn't help but visualize the scene. She would overestimate his power, his strength and then he'd become just a torso. He rubbed at his shoulder.

"We'll just know. It's like in those comics you love. The heroes don't measure out how long they have to work at their powers in order to be a hero, they just feel it." That was another thing Toshinori adored about Nana. She actually cared about the silly things he talked about, like comics and theories. She didn't just brush his ideas away and call him stupid or crazy like everyone else. She listened and even asked him questions. The first time she'd engaged in his rants, he was too surprised to respond.

"I guess so." He let his arms fall to his sides. "Should I start with a few laps, Master?" He'd gotten used to calling her his master after she'd clearly explained that he would be the successor of her quirk and power. He liked the idea, being taught specially by someone else. Someone that cared about him for who he was.

"Actually, we're going to do something a little different today. There's someone I want you to meet." She gave him a dangerously enthusiastic wink before letting out a loud whistle. Before Toshinori could question it, something started falling toward them. When he realized that it was a person, he felt his blood stop pumping for a few seconds.

Dust kicked up around Toshinori and he coughed a few times before it cleared, leaving a big man standing in front of him, wearing a white and yellow hero outfit. Was this who Nana wanted him to meet? He wasn't completely sure why, since Nana had been training him for a while before now. Why bring someone else into the picture now?

"Did no one ever tell you it's rude to stare, Boy?" The hero snapped, glaring at him. Toshinori stuttered for an explanation, but found none. Thankfully, Nana started talking before he got into more trouble.

"This is Gran Torino. He's been my best friend and trained with me when my master gave me One For All. He knows almost as much about this quirk as I do." She hung an arm around his shoulder. Her weight didn't move him an inch. He stayed standing, like a massive statue. His build was more leg based but if Toshinori was correct, that might have something to do with his big, yellow boots. Did he have a speed quirk? Levitation? How had he fallen from such a great distance without breaking a bone? Did he have a quirk that-

"Are you sure this is the one, Nana? He seems kind of stupid to me. Stupid and weak. Just look at those arms." Gran Torino huffed, gesturing to Toshinori's entire body. He felt a wave of shame wash over him. He wasn't that weak, was he?

"Yep! That's him. He may not seem like much, but trust me, Sora."

"I'll have to." He grumbled. Letting out another sigh, he started pacing around the boy. "Listen up, kid. If you expect to gain Nana's quirk and to become a hero, you have to take this very seriously. If I see you messing around or slacking off, I'll kick your a-butt"

Nana gave him an odd look before standing high again. "Are you ready to start training, Toshi? For today, Gran will just be watching. I'll let him have his way with you once he's gotten to know what you can do."

Training became worlds harder after that. Toshinori learned early on that Gran Torino didn't like him, or anyone for that matter. When they worked out, he would shout at Toshinori for improper form. When they took occasional trips to the local ice cream parlor, he would glare at Toshinori for talking too long or going off on a tangent. When he did anything that wasn't perfect, Gran Torino was quick to derate him. At first, it had bothered Toshinori. He felt like a disappointment and let his shame stay for a bit too long, but after months of this cycle, he learned that Gran Torino just liked to complain about everything. It wasn't until Nana pointed it out, that he noticed it was true. The hero wasn't just mad at Toshinori for existing. He complained about the flavor Nana liked or how wet the ground was.

Gran Torino wasn't there the day Nana gave Toshinori her quirk. She had mentioned something about him going on a mission and that he shouldn't worry himself over someone else. Toshinori decided to do as he was told and trained like usual.

When the sun began to set, Nana pulled him off the ground -they were working on hand to hand combat- and told him it was time.

"Are you sure?" He whispered. Sure, they'd been training, but he didn't feel much stronger. He wasn't big or buff -not that he'd expected a six pack after the first day. He had grown taller, sure, but he still looked like an uncooked noodle.

"I'm sure." She stood confidently, as if the chance of her being wrong was impossible. "Toshinori Yagi, you've earned my trust, my admiration and my quirk in these last two years. At first, I wasn't sure if you were the right one. One For All had never been passed into a quirkless holder before, but I know now. You're exactly what this world needs, Toshinori."

He didn't know what to say. He was in shock. She was speaking so honestly, personally.

Slowly, she reached back to the bun on her head and plucked a hair from her up-do. Just as slowly, she lowered n front of him and smiled at the brightest she'd ever seen. "With this, you will have my power."

Toshinori hadn't realized he was smiling until it fell. What did she mean, with this…wait a second! "The hair?!"

"Yes, the hair! What else would I be referring to?" She laughed. "You have to take in some of my DNA and this is the best option. It's either a hair or some flakes of my skin. Or maybe an eyelash. Your pick." She laughed louder when he started to shake. "Don't worry so much, Toshi. I washed it this morning."

Toshinori took the hair -it was more of a forceful hand over, but he wouldn't mention that- and examined it. He could see where it had been pulled from her head, a little bit of flesh still attached. He felt sick. "Are you sure?"

"Eat it already!" She shouted, grabbing him by the shoulders and shook him enough to make him dizzy.

Once released, Toshinori pushed the disgusting details of it and balled the hair between his fingers. He popped it into his mouth and swallowed it with no little amount of gagging and hacking. Once the hair had made the full journey down, he waited. And waited. And nothing happened.

"Did I do it wrong?" Fear started to pierce through his mind. Was there a worthiness factor to this? What if he hadn't really swallowed the hair and it had just sat at the back of his throat? Was this all just a cruel joke?

"I might be because you don't have a quirk. It should be transfusing with whatever quirk you're born with, but since you don't have one, you probably won't feel anything until you use it.

"So...when do I start learning to use it?"

"We'll get to that tomorrow. It's getting too dark to stay out here. Good night, Toshi. And good luck." She gave him another wink before floating away.

Toshinori wondered how he would tell Dad about this.

…

It seemed that Dad didn't notice. Why would he if he was drunk nearly every second they spent together. He didn't notice when Toshinori started getting taller and bigger, gaining a fair amount of muscle in such a short amount of time. He was too drunk to realize that his son was leaving home to train ever. Single. Day.

Toshinori was sick of it. He walked into the master bedroom, ignoring the disgusting smell and cans of beer littering the floor. Dad's dark hair was unwashed and just as messy as his bedroom. He was sipping at a new bottle, watching something on his phone. He didn't even look up when the door opened. Was he really too drunk to notice?

"Dad." Toshinori didn't bother whispering. For once, he wanted to be heard. He received no answer. Walking further into the room, he grabbed an empty can and threw it at Dad's head. If he couldn't hear, then maybe he could feel.

"Shhhhhh-" Dad fell off the bed with a loud thump and a few more cusses. Toshinori walked around the bed to stand above him. It hurt so much to watch his father do this. To watch his dad forget about everything but beer.

"Dad." He spoke louder this time. "Get up."

Dad's words were barely coherent. "what are you doing?"

Toshinori fought for control over his own emotions. The fear of never getting Dad back was a constant demon. "I want to talk to you."

The purely Japanese man stood up slowly, groaning and hiccuping all the while. When he managed to get back on his bed, he was already reaching for his bottle. Toshinori took it from his hands and held it away. If he wanted a chance at talking, he'd have to keep him from drinking more.

"Hey." Dad glared somewhere between the bottle and Toshinori. "Give it to me." he demanded. Was this really all he cared about anymore?

"No." Toshinori glared just as hard. "What's wrong with you? Why…" he swallowed down his tears before continuing. "Why do you drink like this? You're just killing yourself."

"Give me the bottle." Dad repeated, as if he hadn't heard a word Toshinori said.

Toshinori had had enough of this stupid game. He threw the bottle onto the ground, ignoring the shattered pieces that fell around his shoes. The sound made Dad jump. Good. He hoped the disgusting liquid ruined the floor. "Why don't you care anymore? Why are you doing this to us?"

"You broke it…" Dad whispered.

"I want to know why, Dad! I want to know why you don't...why you don't love me!" The tears were getting too heavy to stop.

They stayed in silence for a long time before anyone responded. Toshinori was about to leave, already halfway across the room when Dad spoke up. "She'd come back...if I didn't hurt her." It was almost too quiet to hear and when he did, Toshinori wasn't sure he'd heard right. When had Dad ever hurt Mom? He remembered the yelling, though the memories were getting foggy. He couldn't recall a single moment Dad had hurt anyone. Dad continued. "If I'd been a better husband...then he'd still love me. I wouldn't have to drink just to get her out of my mind. I wouldn't hurt…"

Toshinori couldn't speak. This was the first time they were talking about her for so long. Had Dad never let go of her? Had he really been heartbroken for all these years? "Dad...It wasn't you. She-"

"No! Shut up! You don't...you don't understand. You're just a child, Toshi. You don't understand what it feels like to love someone. You'll never know. Never." He started to ramble. Toshinori couldn't help but let the tears leak out. It hurt too much to hold them back.

"Dad?" It was a broken whisper.

"I need a drink." He muttered, searching the bed for another can. Once he found one in the mini fridge behind his nightstand, he opened it with a painful hiss and drank.

"Can we...can we be a family again? Even if it's just you and me? Can we at least try?" Toshinori held his breath, wishing desperately for an answer. He didn't want to live alone anymore. It hurt too much to come home to this every day. He needed his father back.

"Get out, Toshinori."

Something snapped inside Toshinori's chest and let out a soft sob. Covering his mouth, he left the master bedroom and slid down the closed the door, finally letting his pain out. The tears felt like fire as they ran down his face. His chest pulled and his jaw ached from the pressure. He wasn't going to get his family back. He'd lost any chance at that when he was born quirkless. It didn't matter that he had a fake quirk now. It didn't change a single thing. He would always be worthless.

Toshinori tried himself to sleep that night, waking up in that same hall, just to be reminded of his own failures.

Author's Notes: I was going to let his father have some kind of redemption, but it wouldn't correlate with my other fanfiction were Toshinori's dad is included. I would also like to note that domestic abuse in males is treated a lot less seriously and any kind of abuse, emotional or otherwise, can really mess someone up. That's not to say everyone who's been abused it messed up either. On a lighter note, thanks for reading this and I'm sorry for the slower updates! I'll get the next one out as soon as it's done.


	4. Chapter 4

The first day of school at UA was a fair representation of how Toshinori's entire three years went while attending. He got lost.

"Wait...was the turn back there?" Toshinori turned the school map over again. It'd come with his acceptance letter but it was ultimately useless when the halls were this big. The doors to each room were massive and he wondered who taught here to need a door like that. He'd at least made it to the hall where his class should've been, but by the time he made it to 1-A, he got lost again. Toshinori huffed out and continued down the line. If he was going to be late, then he had a good excuse. How did they expect people to find their way around?

"Hey! Are you in the hero course?" A gruff voice asked.

Toshinori turned around to see a teacher -or who he assumed was a teacher- peeking out from the door. "Ah, yeah. Is 1-B around here?" He held up his map. He doubted a teacher needed it but it was nice to offer, right?

"That's us. Get on in here." he gestured towards the inside of the class, a playful smile showing on his lips.

Toshinori shoved the map into his pocket and jogged over. There hadn't been anything printed on the door when he passed. "Why isn't there a number on the door then?"

"The door's relatively new. We just didn't get around to printing it on before the year started. Don't worry, you're not the only one who's gotten lost."

As Toshinori walked into the room, he nearly jumped back at his teacher's quirk. He hadn't expected a centaur, though the idea seemed interesting to him. There weren't any comic heroes -that he knew of- that were centaurs. Those were mostly saved for mythology and fantasy novels, but anything was possibly with quirks. Part of him wanted to ask how his teacher did daily things, like riding on buses or in cars. Was his bed low to the ground? What about his bathroom-

"Hey, get inside and quit staring." His teacher's smile turned soar and Toshinori ran to the first seat he saw. The centaur closed the door and started walking toward the front. He'd obviously ruined the man's good mood. Great. "Alright, 1-B. Welcome to UA. You've all earned your way here through your knowledge and fighting skill, but it's obvious to me that you're all far from true heroes."

A few eyes turned to Toshinori and he sunk in his seat. Why did he sit in the front?

The centaur continued. "My name is Seicho and I expect you to address me properly. Now, I know that my quirk is a bit different than others may expect but I do not tolerate horse jokes, under any circumstances."

The rest of the class went a bit more smoothly, but it was obvious that some classmates were forming harsh opinions on him. Once homeroom ended, Toshinori let out a long sigh and sat up straight. He had a quirk now. He wouldn't get pushed away or dismissed as useless. He was going to become a symbol of peace, so he had to stand out. He'd train harder than anyone else. With renewed confidence, Toshinori sat up tall and gave the person behind him a peace sign and a bright smile, like Nana's. They gave him a grimace and turned around to see who he was looking at. Toshinori's smile fell and he turned back around. He could've planned that better.

There was little to no class work assigned and they went to a special ceremony for all of the first years. They were told more about what it means to be at UA as a student. The principal was a nice guy but tended to ramble on. He made a joke about his force field quirk that no one laughed at but Toshinori. He'd gotten more stares.

By the time lunch came around, Toshinori was tired and hungry. He'd gone through the lunch line, flashing a smile at the lunch ladies as he went, and hovered. He could see several friend groups forming, but it seemed like everyone was just meeting each other. If he didn't find the right people to sit with today, then it's only get more and more awkward to sit with someone else. After a quick review of the area, he decided to sit next to a smaller group of mutant quirk students. Well, he would've sat down with them, if he hadn't been stopped.

"Hey, you can't sit with us." A student with a bear quirk roared. "This is for people with mutation quirks only."

Toshinori tilted his head, feeling a drip of anxiety build in his chest. "Why's that?"

"Because we don't want you stupid telekinesis kids sitting with us." Another student snapped. This one had spider legs.

"Oh! Thank goodness I don't have telekinesis, then." Toshinori beamed. "Can I sit with you now?" He moved to sit but got cut off again.

A pair of big hands pulled him away by the shoulders roughly. He nearly dropped his entire lunch tray but managed to keep a good hold on it. Another mutant student huffed smoke in his face before taking his seat. Toshinori coughed and took a few steps away. He gave one last look at the group before moving away. He decided to sit alone instead. His energy had all but run out. He ate in silence, wondering why mutant quirked people felt like they needed to be by themselves. No, he knew why. People were cruel and evil. Those with physical quirks were often treated like the fall of society. Like someone who had a different look would hurt more people then someone without. It was just another reason for Toshinori to become a symbol of peace. He could help outcasts become a welcomed part of the world.

Toshinori jumped when someone sat down across from him. She gave him a quick smile before going back to her food. Her hair was tied up in a long ponytail that flowed over her shoulder. The most notable thing about her, though, was the fact that she had an entirely unnatural color scheme. Her skin was a dark blue and her hair was a brighter tint of the same color. She had white dots all over her face and Toshinori assumed those were freckles. The inside of her eyes were black, then red.

"What?" She looked at him long and hard.

"Um...what exactly...is your quirk? It's really interesting, don't get me wrong! I'm just…" toshinori rubbed at his neck. He was ruining everything he did today.

"It's called Invert. I see the real world's inverted color." She answered shortly.

"Oh, really? That's really cool! I've never seen anything like it! Does it help you fight or see things that no one else can?"

She didn't respond for a while, chewing on her mouthful of rice. "I saw you trying to talk to the mutation table. I still can't tell if you're determined or just stupid."

Toshinori felt thrown off at the sudden change in conversation. "Um, well...I just wanted to sit next to someone." The truth was always a good plan. "I don't really like to sit alone and figured they seemed friendly enough."

"You don't know a lot about quirks, do you? Are you a late bloomer?" She leaned forward, almost dipping her tie into her sauce.

"People with mutant quirks shouldn't be treated so differently." He decided to change the subject instead of answering. With a quirk this secret, he'd have to get good at it. "It's not their fault and no one should treat it like it is. That's why I'm here at UA. I want to become a hero that everyone can count on! A symbol of peace!" He stood up dramatically and raised his fist in the air. A few others looked but he didn't care. He wanted them to know too.

The girl looked at him in embarrassment and disbelief. "You really are crazy." She muttered. When he was seated again, she slipped him a small smile. "It's cool though. To have ideas like that. I'm just here to work with my dad. He's the hero Techno." She said it as if Toshinori would know who that was.

"Hey! Maybe we could help each other out! Like in The Mudman Adventures three! He made his own team of heroes with dirty themed powers!" Toshinori couldn't help but ramble. Someone was willing to listen to him, so why not share a bit of his passion?

"Wait, you read comics? I thought those were only for old people."

Toshinori stopped talking but held his smile. "Well, they are older but that doesn't mean they're not good. In fact, I designed my hero costume off of a few heroes from them! Wanna see?" he was already pulling out his small sketchbook and flipping through pages. "This one is just a sketch of Electro Class, the high voltage hero! I liked the way her boots looked so I decided to take that and…" He flipped to another drawing. "Crystal Gore's helmet. See?" He showed her the picture.

She looked at his sketch with wide eyes. He continued to flip between pictures until he made it to the sketch of his hero costume. Nana had complimented it the moment she saw it but suggested he dropped the extra gadgets. Smoke bombs wouldn't be necessary with his quirk.

His costume was mostly armor based. If he was going to be wide open, then he'd need protection. It was mostly red and white to represent Japan. If he was going to protect them, then he might as well use their country's colors.

"Why didn't you go into a drawing school? This is really good!" She grabbed the sketchbook and began looking through it. Toshinori felt a spike of anxiety rise up. He had some bad pictures in there too and some unfinished ones. He didn't really want her to see those…

The bell for lunch rang and Toshinori realized two things. He didn't eat any of his lunch and he still hadn't gotten this girl's name. "Wait, what's your name?" Toshinori shot up before she could even leave her own seat. She stared at him for a little while before smiling.

"You can call me Hanten." She turned back to her book bag and stood up. "It was nice talking to you, but I'll have to think over the idea of teaming up. I have a hard time staying dedicated to other people. I'll tell you when I have an answer." She started walking away.

Toshinori shoved a handful of rice into his mouth and rushed to walk beside her. "That's okay. I'm new to this whole friends thing too. I can walk you to your class in the meantime, though. Which class are you from?"

She gave him a smirk before nodding toward a large door. "I'm in 1-A with Yasaki-sensei. She doesn't like most other hero course classes. That much is clear already."

As if summoned a tall woman glared at Toshinori from her room. "I'm glad you found your way back, Miss Hanten. Please try to get back a little sooner next time." Hanten nodded and threw Toshinori a subtle wink before walking into class. He smiled back and decided to head back to his own homeroom. He was already in trouble with his own teacher. It wouldn't help to get in trouble with someone else's as well.

…

Over the next few days, Hanten and Toshinori ate together but every time he asked if she'd made up her mind, she told him to wait. It was a bit strange, to think about something so simple for so long, but he was willing to wait for her answer.

Her answer didn't come after the sports festival, which Toshinori not third place on -he'd lost to someone with a telekinesis quirk. Her answer didn't come after their first set of finals either. By that point, Toshinori had decided to stop asking and just let her come to him whenever she had her answer. They were close enough that Toshinori visited her house every weekend for study sessions. He helped her train in martial arts, with a few pointers he'd gathered from Nana. She helped him study quirk history and English. Hanten was a master at learning languages and Toshinori almost wanted to say it was part of her quirk.

One time, during their weekly study session, she cracked the funniest joke that Toshinori had ever heard -or he was just so tired that it made it ten times more funny- and they both ended up laughing their guts out on her bedroom floor. When she tried to calm down, Toshinori snorted and it all started again.

"Stop! Stop!" She laughed. "I'm gonna vomit!" They actually managed to calm down to soft giggles before relaxing. Toshinori's ribs still hurt from it. "Toshi, I wanna know something." she whispered in the silence of her room.

He turned to her with a small smile. "Yeah?"

She wasn't smiling back. Her face was serious and it made his smile drop. The mood no longer felt calm and relaxing. The tension between them stretched until she finally spoke. "Toshi, why don't we ever meet at your house? I know you don't live alone because I saw your parents with you at the sports festival."

Toshinori felt a shrill go down his spine. His parents? Dad didn't go to the sports festival. He didn't even respond when Toshinori told him later that evening. The memory made his chest ache, but he shoved it away. Toshinri looked up at the ceiling, trying to figure out who she'd seen- Nana. Both Nana and gran Torino had gone to the sport festival to watch him. Did she think...those were his parents. "Oh, Hanten, those are-" He stopped.

Was Nana his parent? No, not biologically. She felt like a parent to him, though. When he sees her after school for training, and tells her about the things he did at school and learned, she felt like a mother. Gran Torino wasn't really a father to him, more like a close uncle. He'd never had one before, but that sounded right to him. The question came up again. Was Nana his mother? If he admitted that she wasn't to Hanten, what would he say? That Dad was too drunk to support him? To even acknowledge that he existed? No. That wasn't an option.

"My parents." he finished. "Yeah. they're my parents." His chest felt lighter as he said it.

"Then why don't we ever meet at your place? I mean, I like coming here. I'm comfortable here, but why?

That was another problem. Toshinori decided to tell her the truth. "It's a really long story." Well, the vague truth. "It's really complicated and you'd probably just end up more confused than you are now. I…" How could he phrase this as simple as possible? "It's not good for both of us to be at my house."

Her eyes went wide and here gaze flicked to the bruise on his shoulder. He'd gotten that during training, but she didn't know that. "Toshi...are you safe at home? Should we tell someone?" She said it in a near whisper, her voice tense and scared.

"No, we don't need to tell anyone. It's not dangerous or anything, I just...I don't know how safe you'd be there. It's different and confusing, I know, but I promise that I'm okay."

Hanten nodded slowly before letting out a long sigh. "Well, I'm okay with staying here then. I trust you, Toshi."

They didn't talk about it for a long time. The Monday after that conversation, Hanten told him that she wanted to join his little team and Toshinori nearly spit his rice all over her. They were a team! When the time for their pre-licensing exam came, they signed up as a team. They called themselves Team Hope.

Since they had signed up as a team but weren't in the same class, they would sometimes have to skip certain classes to train with the other hero course class. Both 1-B and 1-A teachers ended up deciding to transfer the two of them to 1-C so that they could train together.

Toshinori and Hanten did everything together after that. They had matching costumes -Toshinori's was a bright red color while Hanten's was a darker purple color- and their very own symbol. The Hope Heroes, Almighty and Indigo would be the best Japan had ever seen. At least that's what they told themselves.

During the summer of their second year, they trained together but that all stopped when Nana was called in for a special mission on the Northern coast of japan. Gran Torino, Nana and Toshinori all had to attend a hero ranking conference and wouldn't come back for a week or so.

"Call me everyday, Toshinori." Hanten made him promise. "Don't get fat while I'm gone." She puffed out her cheeks and wobbled. Toshinori laughed and gave her the biggest bear hug he could.

"Alright, but you better not shrink. If you get any smaller, I might have to carry you on my shoulder."

She gave him a playful slap on the side. He was nearly 200 cm already and still had a few extra years of growing to do. He gave her one last hug before heading out to meet Nana and Gran Torino at the train station.

Toshinori didn't return for nearly a month after and didn't answer a single call from Hanten for the rest of the summer. He didn't show up to a full week of school when the school year started again. Whenever she called his number, the line went dead immediately and when she checked nearly everywhere they've ever been together, he was never there. It was as if he'd disappeared.

The new 1-C teacher was a gruff man with frizzy white hair. His hero name was Gran Torino and insisted that they would become true heroes before the year ended. Hanten didn't like him but she didn't care to focus on it. Nearly every second of her time was spent thinking of where Toshinori had gone.

When Toshinori did come back, he walked with a slight limp and a dark aura. Something was seriously wrong.

Hanten tried to talk to him during lunch. "Toshinori, what's wrong? I know you better than anyone. You'd never ignore my calls and just...not show up. UA means everything to you!"

He felt his chest press and he tried to keep from crying again. His mind wouldn't let him forget. He could still see her face, covered in blood. "I…" Toshinori swallowed a thick wad of mucus. "I don't know what to say." His hands shook. This was dangerous. Gran Torino had already told him what to do about his team, but he was too scared. He had no choice. Just sitting here could kill Hanten. "I want to talk to you after school, alright?"

Hanten stayed quiet for a long time, only nodding. She knew something big was happening, he could see that in the way she respected his space. He would always be grateful for her, even years after he'd left.

…

"I'm leaving to America as soon as I graduate." Toshinori admitted. He felt relieved to finally get it out, but he also hated the look on her face.

"You...You're moving to America? Well, then I'll build the funds and we can go. I can work longer shifts. We can even-"

"Hanten. I...I can't bring you with me. It's too dangerous. I'm moving to America alone." He hoped that she would just agree and let it be, but he knew she was a fighter. He wouldn't have teamed up with her if she wasn't.

"No. You promised that we would be a team!" He tried to calm her but she slapped his hands away. "No! I'm not letting you run away! Whatever this thing is, we can fight this. Together."

Toshinori gently laid his hands on hers, pressing them to his cheeks. Her hands were warm but made the sting behind his eyes worse. "Hanten, we can't. She's gone and I ca-" He gasped and struggled to keep his voice even. His jaw hurt with the effort it took. "Please, just trust me. This is for the best. You'll die if we don't split up."

"But Toshi...This was our dream." She was crying now, small streams of tears rolling down her cheeks. "I don't know if I can just give this up. I...I don't want to lose you, Toshi. You're so im-important to me."

"I'm sorry." He whispered, letting a single tear fall onto their joined hands. "Trust me, If I had a choice, I wouldn't do this; but I don't."

They stood there for a long time, grieving the hopes and dreams of their past. The first to speak was Toshinori. "Hanten…?"

"Y-yeah?" She sniffed. "What is it, Toshi?"

He bit his lip and let go on one hand. He then wiped a tear from her face, though it was useless against the tears that replaced it. "I want you to be happy without me. Can you do that?"

Her lip twitch and more tears came but she didn't sob. She lowered her head. "I don't know, Toshi. You're all I've ever known and-" She cut herself off, wiping away her tears. He let out a long breath and looked up at him again. "I'll try. I'll try for you."

He gave her a weak smile, not feeling it in his heart. It would be the first of many to come. "That's all I ask."

Toshinori didn't see Hanten at the airport before leaving to America. He could never blame her for not seeing him go.

Author's Notes: Sometimes, the best thing you can give someone is your trust.


	5. Chapter 5

Over all of Toshinori's years with Gran Torino, he'd never feared the man until Nana died. That's when the line between abuse and training started to blur.

"I let you under my roof and you don't even follow my rules? You're as useless as they come." Gran Torino huffed out angrily. Toshinori had just barely gotten everything from Dad's house to Gran Torino's small apartment. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea, but he was starting to regret it.

"Sorry, Torino-sensei. I was just tired." Toshinori stood up sluggishly, trying to ignore the ache in his chest. Everything hurt without Nana around.

"Yeah? well, 'sorry' doesn't buy Taiyaki."

Toshinori ducked his head as he walked out of his small bedroom and into the living room. "Should I use my money to buy some or…" He really didn't want to get in trouble for asking a 'stupid' question, but he only had so much money. He was lucky his job was paying him at all.

"What do I look like? Use your own. That's what you have a job for, isn't it? Now get out." The jet hero flopped onto the couch and scrolled through the channels on the tv. Toshinori had never known how lazy Gran Torino was before moving in with the man. He questioned how Nana ever put up with him.

Toshinori left the apartment without another word. If he took longer to get the Taiyaki, then they might skip training today, but that also brought up the risk of getting in trouble again. There was no real safe option so Toshinori decided to do his chore quickly. There was no way Gran Torino was going to skip their training. He hadn't skipped a single day for five years so why would he now?

He got the biggest box of Taiyaki he could find and decided it was better to get more now to avoid this situation again. He would get paid in a week or two, so this should be enough until then, right? Yeah. Toshinori grabbed it and made his way back to the front. His steps were still slow and heavy, just like the beat of his heart. Did he still have one in there? He wasn't sure. It felt too empty.

On his walk back, Toshinori felt his eyes begin to ache. He wiped them away stubbornly and went back to the task at hand. He didn't have time to cry. It wouldn't change the fact that he'd had to sever his friendship of two years. It didn't bring Nana back, so why bother.

Toshinori walked faster and faster as the tears began to spill stubbornly. By the time he was at the apartment again, his line of vision was blurry and his legs could barely hold him. Leaning against the front door, Toshinori dropped the stupid taiyaki and grabbed at his chest. It hurt so bad. The emptiness felt like a black hole, pulling at his ribs and lungs until he suffocated. His bangs wiggled with each sob and breathing became difficult, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

It was his fault, wasn't it? If Nana had One For All, then she wouldn't have died. She would've been strong enough to kill that villain. She wouldn't have wasted her time and effort on him. Another sob racked through his body. He didn't blame Gran Torino for hating him. He hated himself too. For killing Nana and being a useless successor on top of it all.

"I'm sorry." He whispered to himself.

The front door swung open and Toshinori fell backwards. He stared at Gran Torino's frowning face in shock. A yellow boot connected with his ribs and he gasped, curling onto his side. The spot was still sore from their training that morning.

"Look at you! You can't even get groceries without balling your eyes out! Get up, or I'll beat you until you can't!"

Toshinori felt the boot hit him again before he could get onto his feet. His legs were still weak, but he pressed forward, shame and embarrassment keeping him upright. " 'm sorry, Sensei."

"Just shut up and get in the kitchen. I'm not going to starve because you can't do anything right." The bag of Taiyaki hit Toshinori in the back.

…

Most of Gran Torino's reactions were the same over Toshinori's last year at UA. At home, all he ever talked about was how useless Toshinori was. It was always "shut up and do as you're told" or "can't you do anything right?". At school, the treatment was similar, but less direct. "Yagi, pay attention." "Yagi, read the next three paragraphs aloud." "Yagi, do your work."

Out of everything Gran Torino did, Toshinori hated the way they trained the most. The man didn't hold back and never gave him an opening to attack. Ever. Most days, Gran Torino would hit him from all directions while Toshinori tried to defend himself and hold back from shouting in pain and frustration. Sometimes, he had Gran Torino's boot prints bruised onto his back.

When those bruises started to appear on his face and arms as well, Hanten helped him to Recovery Girl's office.

"You poor boy. Look at you. I should have a word with Sora about going too hard…" She muttered to herself as she gave him kisses all along his arms and back. Toshinori stared at his hands through the entire treatment, feeling his energy slowly drain.

"Why'd you get sent to the nurse?" Gran Torino's angry voice echoed through the nearly empty infirmary and Toshinori couldn't help but flinch.

"It's just a few bruises. No broken limbs this time." Recovery Girl responded easily. It wasn't Toshinori's first time here by far. He had a tendency to break gear and buildings during training, which usually ended up with either him or someone else in the nurse's office.

Toshinori wished that Gran Tornio would leave, to just give him a break, but he didn't. When his treatment was done, he was told to rest it out until his stamina returned. As he pretended to sleep, the two adults began to talk in hushed voices.

"He's still too focused on Nana." Gran Torino spoke her name carefully. "I'm worried that he won't recover like this."

"You told him about that, didn't you?" Recovery Girl asked.

"Of course I did. The idiot would blow through all his money if I hadn't. I put his rent into the savings for it."

Toshinori remembered that day. He'd tried to ask for help, to handle Nana's absence, but he was shoved to the side. Instead of talking about Nana, they talked about saving money for the trip. He remembered crying that night, not only for Nana, but because Gran Torino so obviously hated him.

"You make him pay rent? That seems like too much pressure to put on a 17 year-old boy, if you ask me." Recovery Girl huffed, tossing her dark brown hair over her shoulder. She looked about the same age as Gran Torino.

The hero scuffed. "No one in America's gonna care if he lost his master. They'll charge him for rent no matter how much he cries, so I might as well get him used to it now. It'll help him in the long run."

Recovery Girl didn't respond to him. Another injured student stopped their conversation short and Gran Torino finally left. Toshinori slept until the school day ended, which was roughly six or so hours. As he left the infirmary, he gave Recovery Girl a strained smile. He walked home slowly.

Toshinori remembered one particular training session. It was nearly a full month after Nana's death and both of them were upset, but for different reasons. He wasn't quite sure why Gran Torino was so upset -he suspected it was because Toshinori kept messing up his posture- but it lead to a brutal round of combat. The session started out as most did, where Gran Torino bounced all along the walls and Toshinori had to hope for an opening or he'd end up in Recovery Girl's office the next day, again.

A particularly hard kick to his back sent him onto his knees, coughing roughly against the pain. He felt a spike of copper on his throbbing tongue.

"You're dead!" Gran Torino shouted, signalling that any villain would've killed him by that point.

Another blow landed on his stomach, sending everything he'd eaten before on the floor.

"Dead again."

Gran Torino landed next to him on the roof but didn't stop his attacks. He kicked Toshinori in the stomach again, sending him onto his side.

"Dead!"

"S-stop!" Toshinori pleaded, holding his stomach. Gran Torino didn't listen, sending the tip of his shoe into Toshinori's rib. "Ple-please!" He tried again. Another blow to his side. Breathing became more and more difficult with each hit, making the copper taste flow out from his mouth and onto the floor as well.

"Dead!"

The realization that Toshinori couldn't fight back sent a wave of panic through him. He hurt too much to move, let alone defend himself. He wanted it to stop, the pain becoming too much to handle. He let out a shout of pain after every kick.

Gran Torino knelt on the floor next to him, grabbing him by the head and pressing it onto the floor. "Nana wasted your power on you!" His skull left like it would snap. "Look at you, cowering on the floor! You're useless!"

Toshinori released a pained whine, coughing blood onto the floor. His vision began to fade but it hurt too much to rest. He tried to beg for mercy, but nothing came up.

All at once, the pressure on his head released and his ears rang. He shouted as pain shot through his back and ribs. The pain increased as two arms circled around him and moved him. He couldn't see where, but he wished it would stop. His lungs froze and he couldn't breathe. He gasped and coughed, trying to suck air back in.

His back hit something soft and he arched away in front it, which made everything else flair. He was stuck in a constant state of pain. Those arms retracted from him and checked over his mouth and ribs.

"I'm sorry." A gruff voice blew hot air onto his face as a wet cloth wiped at his mouth. "shh...You're bleeding everywhere." It whispered.

Footsteps trailed out of the room and returned again, the sounds of beeping joining it. There was a pause, then the voice spoke again. "Chiyo, are you available? It's Toshi. He started coughing up blood and doesn't seem to be very conscious. Come as soon as you can. I was just-"

The voice lulled Toshinori to sleep, though it didn't sooth the pain. He didn't remember dreaming.

…

In America, Gran Torino called all of three times and that was only to make sure Toshinori had gotten to California safely and registered for school. A week after school started and he had gotten a dorm room at the university, the calls stopped coming. Toshinori didn't dare call the hero back, no matter how scared or lonely he was. He was a legal adult now. He couldn't run back to Sensei whenever he wanted.

He took four classes the first trimester of school in America. One was for Hero training, two were for the core classes -like Algebra and American History- and the very last was an English class for foreign students. He had learned the bare minimum at UA, but he'd learned early on that it wouldn't be enough. He needed to know not only how to order food and cultural etiquette, but slang as well. There had been too many times where a fellow student tried to befriend him, only to realize that his English was horrible and the opportunity was severed.

That's where David Shields came into the picture.

Author's Notes: I can't imagine All Might being so incredibly scared of Gran Torino unless something serious happened in the past. He's seen insane things and nearly died to the hands of All For One but he shakes at the thought of sending Izuku to Gran Toirno's place.


	6. Chapter 6

Toshinori had met Dave after rescuing a few students from a fire in the science building. They'd decided to room together, since Toshinori's old roommate was graduating. They found out quickly that they shared a love for Hero Theory and were both working for the hero industry, though Dave was focused on the gear making aspect of it.

"So, you're sure you're Asian?" Dave laughed, nearly spilling his drink.

"Well, I'm half American by blood but I was born and raised in Japan." Toshinori explains, not quite getting why the topic is so funny.

Dave nods slowly, taking another long drink of beer before setting it down. "You know, if you didn't have an accent, I wouldn't have even guessed you were Japanese. I mean, your face is so western and you have a crazy build."

Toshinori looked down at his own body. "Japanese people can have abs, Dave." He muttered, lifting his shirt to get a better look. People always commented on how 'beefy' he was, but he couldn't quite understand it. He'd always thought it was normal for heroes. Gran Torino was built, along with Nana.

The ache in his chest made him regret thinking of her. It was still too fresh. He decided to focus on the number of beer cans gathering around the table. "Hey, maybe you should get some water. Is that your third one?" Toshinori started picking up cans and hated how familiar it was.

"Yeah, but I can take it. This isn't my first rodeo, cowboy." Dave gave him two finger guns and a wink. "In fact," He looked around the table, looking for something while Toshinori threw the rest of the cans into the recycling bin. The dorm wasn't much of a mess beside the dinner they hadn't finished eating yet. There was still more than enough food left for three days worth of leftovers, but Toshinori had lost his appetite. That seemed to be happening a lot recently.

Dave opened two different cans of beer and attempted to drink both at the same time, but only managed to get the liquid all over himself. It didn't seem to register that he'd just spilled beer all over his favorite jacket. Toshinori let out a long sigh and hoped he wasn't showing how much this bothered him. "Dave, put it down. It's not healthy to drink that much, especially on a school night." Toshinori still couldn't quite understand why the man had gotten a case in the first place. He knew that Toshinori didn't drink, right?

"You're just saying that because you work hard." Dave eased out of his fit of laughter and began drinking one beer at a time. "Once these two are gone, then I'll stop, okay? I'm not wasting my beer." Another long drink brought silence to the dorm room.

Toshinori weighed his options. If Dave drank another two cans, he'd likely never get to bed and would become a bigger problem for both of them in the morning. Deciding on the best option, Toshinori picked up a can and brought it to his mouth. If he drank at least one, then Dave wouldn't be quite as drunk and they could go to bed faster. The most logical answer.

Toshinori hadn't accounted for the beer to taste so bad. He had swallowed the substance before he could spit it out, but gagged all the same. It came with a lot of flavors he hadn't expected. It had a lot of carbonation and tasted a bit like oat with a sweetener aftertaste. The liquid stung his throat and it took a few minutes to fully come back from it. How could anyone drink so much of this? It tasted like piss water.

"Woah! Toshi! I didn't expect you to join in! I might as well open another pack if you're going to start drinking too!" Dave laughed, already getting out of his seat. Toshinori pushed the brunette -perhaps a little bit harder than he'd wanted- back into his chair and gave him a hard look.

"Dave, if you open another one of these, I'll throw the entire fridge at you."

That seemed to sober him up a bit and they drank in silence. It took a lot for Toshinori to not just dump it and, frankly, the only thing keeping him from doing just that was the idea of wasting Dave's hard earned money. He knew how many jobs the man worked just to stay in college. He deserved something like this every once in a while, but not on school nights.

As the can of beer slowly drained, Toshinori could feel the taste slowly getting less potent. After the first can, it wasn't so bad. He could continue drinking -and should or Dave's sake- if he wanted, but the light buzz in the back of his mind kept him from doing it. It was unfamiliar but felt nice, in a way. He'd been so stressed for the last few weeks that the forced relaxation took the nasty thoughts away.

With one last swallow, Dave threw his can into the recycling and stood up again. "Alright, I'll drink some water and then we'll go to bed. How does that sound?" He looked through the cupboards and pulled out a plastic cup, filling it with tap water.

"How much beer do you have again?" Toshinori questioned, checking his empty can again. He really didn't want the calm feeling to stop, but thoughts of Nana,Gran Torino, All For One and Hanten were already starting to surface again. He deserved a little break from it, didn't he? He'd worked hard for the past year or so, so why couldn't he enjoy a little extra drinking?

"Look who's trying to push it now." Dave laughed a bit, drinking from his cup before setting it down with a loud clunk. "I have another 8 pack, but I'm not breaking that out until finals. I'm telling you, Hero Theory finals are hell. My sister barely made it out with a bottle of whiskey."

Toshinori nodded along to Dave's stories, feeling disappointed. He really needed another drink. "Maybe I could get us something else, then. Like whiskey or…" He had never been highly educated in the ways of drinking. He knew about the common drinks and what his dad used to drink ever. Single. Day. Other than that, it was just a guessing game.

When Dave sat down, Toshinori jumped at the sudden presence. When had he gotten there? "Toshi, have you ever had alcohol before?" Dave looked a lot more sober, but still had a light flush on his cheeks. His eyebrows were pressed in concern and a gentle hand made its way to his shoulder. His skin tingles at the touch, like it would after falling asleep.

"No." He admitted quietly. He'd never really had a desire to try it after seeing what it did to Dad. He'd been sick of the stuff since middle school and still was, but his tipsy mind was saying otherwise.

Dave let out a soft sigh and stood up again. "You didn't have to drink that for me, you know. I won't have died from another can. I have a strong system for it, Toshi and you obviously don't."

Toshinori sank as far as he could into his seat, which really wasn't that far. "I'm sorry, Dave." He muttered, feeling his eyes begin to ache. It was a very familiar feeling by this point, but he hated it all the same. Sober, Toshinori would've been able to fight the tears that were now running down the sides of his face, but his self control had obviously decreased.

"Hey, Toshi! It's alright!" Dave patted his shoulder, which only made the roaring emotions worse. "It's okay that you drank a little. Honestly, I'd rather you get drunk here than anywhere else, given your strength and speed…"

"Dave?" Toshinori whimpered, covering his face with his giant hands. "Am I a good person?"

"What are you talking about, Toshi?! Of course you are! You're one of the best heroes I've ever-"

"Then why am I always so sad?" Toshinori turned to look Dave in the face. His friend was dumbfounded. He continued. "If I'm a good person, then why do I always mess up?"

Dave stared at him for a long time before finding the words. "I don't know what kind of stuff you've been through, Toshi, I really don't, but trust me when I say that you're probably the best person I've ever met." A warm hand started to rub circles into his back. "You save people because you want them to be safe and happy. You smile and laugh at my horrible jokes. You're so genuinely kind that it's shocking, just to watch you. Remember that girl walking down the street yesterday? Remember how she looked scared and you turned that all around by shooing away those nasty stalkers and giving her a bright smile?"

When Toshinori nodded, Dave gave him a smile. There was another lull before he continued. "Toshi, whatever those people say about you, the ones that don't like you, don't trust them. By principle, I don't trust anyone who doesn't like the great All Might."

Toshinori let it soak in. Was it really true? Could he be a good person just by making others happy? A soft voice inside of him answered yes. Yes, you can be a hero just by helping a woman get home safely. Yes, you can be worthy of praise by saving someone's life. Yes, you can be enough just the way you are. Toshinori, you're enough.

For the first time in a long time, Toshinori felt like it was true. He really was worth something. He wasn't useless, or stupid. All these things that have been pressuring him and dragging him down, they weren't his fault. Mom didn't leave because of him. It wasn't his fault that his team with Hanten was forced apart. It wasn't his fault that Nana died. These were all mishaps in his life and he could continue to be okay with that.

For the first time in forever, he could be okay.

…

Dave was the one who asked about being Toshinori's sidekick. It was after the first semester of their second year ended and they would've separated, found another person to share a dorm room with. Instead, Dave asked to stay with him as a partner in crime. Or, a partner in fighting crime, in this case.

At first, Toshinori was going to decline. He loved Dave as his friend, but it was a whole different story to protect him in the case of a villain attack. There was also a concern about the fact Dave wasn't even a trained hero. He was a scientist and had little to no strength in his post-teenage arms.

When Toshinori saw Dave's car, he agreed immediately. The thing had gadgets, speed boosters and seats wide enough for Toshinori to not only sit comfortably, but to also jump straight out of at any given time. It was all around a win, like a packaged deal that came to partnering with the scientist.

After becoming official partners, the hero work became easier. Villain were knocked out twice as fast with Dave by his side and he even helped Toshinori name his new ultimate moves. It had been Toshinori's idea to name them after something dear to him, instead of just 'big punch' like the rough draft suggested.

"What about states? You really liked visiting Oklahoma with me, so why don't you just call it an Oklahoma Smash? Like throwing all of your good experiences onto the villain!" Dave suggested.

"Oh! I remember a comic hero having similar attacks! I could have a bunch of different smashes for all the places I've been! Like Detroit!" Toshinori punched the table lightly with excitement. It wouldn't be the first time he'd broken a table, but he'd rather not pay for another.

"You can work on it as you go. It's not like you'll be leaving any time soon." Dave patted his shoulder and went back to his drawing tablet. He was working on something secret that he obviously didn't want Toshinori to see. The brunette had his tablet angles away from the hero's eyes, even if it made drawing -or whatever the man was doing- uncomfortable.

Toshinori tapped his fingers onto the hard wood table, slouching a bit. "You know...Dave…"

Dave looked up from his drawing. "Yeah?"

"um...Well, I got a call from my old sensei, back in Japan and I've really been meaning to talk to you about this."

They could both tell that it wasn't a good thing either. "What is it, Toshi?" He said it in a way that said he already knew what it was.

"I'm expected to go back to Japan after my four year mark. I know, it's a while from now, but it's better you know now rather than a week before I go. I'm not sure I'd be able to tell you if I waited that long." Toshinori pulled on a long bang, looking away from his friend's gaze.

He could hear Dave's seat move. The drawing pen made a little click when it hit the table. "What?! You just got here! I mean, not really, but you know! We'll barely get any time together!"

"Dave, it's still two whole years away."

"Why do you have to leave? Aren't you happy here? Can't you just stay? You're making a living and you can't just take your job everywhere you go, you know!" Dave began to pace back and forth. "No. I can't believe this! I just-" Toshinori must've been showing how much his reaction hurt, because once he looked at him, he sat down. "I'm sorry, Toshi. I'm just...I don't want to share you with the rest of the world. Call me selfish but I'm stuck with you, you know?"

Dave's reaction reminded Toshinori of Hanten. It reminded him of how she protested his leaving, how badly she wanted him to stay with her. He wondered if she was alright now, or if she hated him. Would Dave hate him after he left as well?

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have freaked out. I know how hero life goes and given how popular you are, it's a better idea for you to settle in your native country anyway."

"I want to stay, but I don't really have a choice." Toshinori explained. "My life isn't completely in my hands and sometimes, I have to do things that will hurt in order to protect other people. Does that make sense?"

Dave gave him a knowing look. "A little bit." He let out a long sign and rubbed at his face. "I'm not going to like this, Toshi. I'm not going to like it no matter how far it is into the future. So, I'll take what I can get now."

"Thank you for understanding." Toshinori gave him as good of a could as he could get at such an awkward position. It felt nice to be cared about.

He hoped that this could last, even if only for the next two years. That would be enough for Toshinori.

…

Dave had been designing a suit for Toshinori. It was beautiful and made of a fabric easily stretched around the man's muscles. The gloves were a bit heavy, but Toshinori used that to swing punches. His boots were heavy as well, but didn't get in the way too often. The design itself had been Toshinroi's absolute favorite part.

"It's wonderful! I can't even say how much this means to me." How had he gotten so lucky to have a sidekick like Dave?

"Don't sweat it, Toshi. I got tired of seeing you always buying new shirts so I decided to just make you a suit. Besides, every good hero needs a flashy costume, right? You look like a comic hero, now!"

The comparison nearly made Toshinori cry. The strong V atop his head wiggled as he jumped and moved, testing out the suit's limitations. He had found none. "Oh, Dave! I could kiss you!" He scooped his sidekick into his arms, twirled him around -nearly breaking the man's neck from how tightly he hugged him- and gave him a big, wet kiss on his cheek. Dave turned all shades of red by the time he'd registered it.

"Man. You're so easy to please." Dave laughed before scooping up his keys and heading for the laboratory door. "Let's take it for a spin then. You're gonna be kicking so much villain butt and you'll be looking cute doing it!"

Toshinori followed curiously. He didn't think that the suit made him cute, but he'd take it.

...

The day before Toshinori left for Japan, Dave drove him to the California beach. It was Toshinroi's absolute favorite part of the entire state. The way the ocean water ran up onto the shore, washing the sand away with it. The shells littered around the sand and the sun as it set over the horizon. This was what he was going to miss the most about California. Well, besides Dave.

They sat on the shore for about half an hour before either spoke. "Toshi? What kind of hero do you want to be?" Toshinori could see Dave's hair rustling in the wind. The single strand that always stayed in front was now flowing back with the rest of his hair. The man looked so peaceful next to him.

"I want to be a symbol." Toshinori spoke softly, but still felt like it was too loud. "I want people to just see my smile and know that it's going to be okay." It had been his dream since he was just little and now, he was already starting to see it become a reality. His now iconic phrase "I am here!" started to make itself known to the people of California. The great All Might was already on his way to stardom, but he had to start over again, in Japan.

"That's pretty good." Toshinori caught Dave's eyes, sharing a soft smile. "Now what kind of person do you want to be?"

The question threw him off. What did it matter what person he was? Well, in order for others to find safety in him, he'd have to show that they can be safe. His smile couldn't always be to mask his fears. He needs to be genuine sometimes, right? That's what this world needed. Someone who's not afraid to be genuine. He wasn't sure how well that would work with his path. "I'm not sure." He admitted quietly.

"Then you better figure it out soon. Toshi, you're a heart of pure gold, but I know that the heroics field can kill that light. It can take the most beautiful of gems and scuff it up. I don't want you to be like so many others who end up washed away with the world's ideas. There's never going to be another one of you, Toshi."

Toshinori looked away from his friend's face. He'd seen it too. He'd seen the results of this kind of work. Every single day, he would be putting his life on the line for those who may not even thank him. He'd be fighting villain after villain for no reward but a shaky paycheck. He needed his mind in the first place from the start, or he'd end up like the worst of heroes.

"Thank you, Dave." Was all he could manage. The man had done so much for him and now, he'd have to say goodbye. "I don't want us to drift. I want to be your friend until I'm old and rotten. So, as soon as I make it to Japan, I'll call you! Even if you're in class!" Toshinori thrusted a fist into the air with renewed confidence. He wouldn't lose another friend.

Dave laughed and patted his back. "I'd probably be asleep by then, but I'll answer your call. We can be a team, even if the entire world's between us, right?"

"Does that mean you're also my official hero suit designer? I really liked this one and would hate to go for a lesser designer in Japan." He finished the compliment off with a wink.

"O-oh! Well, sure! I'd love to design your suits! We'll make it a deal then. No matter how we change in the future, I'll still make suits for you. So you better not do anything to piss me off, or I'll give you a pink and red suit to save people in."

Toshinori held his hands up in defense. "I promise!" They shared a good laugh before falling back into silence. They listened to the seagulls cry over the horizon, the waves and salty air making the scene so much more beautiful. "I'm really going to miss you, Dave." He could feel his chest contract with the pain of leaving someone so special to him behind.

Dave leaned close and gave Toshinori a big hug. "I'll miss you too, Buddy." They held each other for a while, neither daring to let go. Eventually, they had to split apart and drive back to their apartment. Toshinori still had a bit of packing to do.

At the airport, they both cried and hugged to their heart's content, but they made a promise. This wasn't goodbye. This was just a new chapter to their lives and they'd still have each other in the future, no matter what. Toshinori wasn't losing a friend, just going away for a while. He'd promised to visit if either he or Dave got married. It felt nice to have such plans, even though Toshinori already knew who'd be getting married first. Or at all. It was fine. He could be a part of Dave's family anyway.

Author's Notes: I originally though of All Might as the tank when it came to drinking. The kind of person that could have shot after shot and stay insanely sober, but his history would say otherwise. The poor man can's take much and that seems just as funny to me.


	7. Chapter 7

Toshinori's rise to the Number One spot was all a massive blur of constant crime fighting and far too many 'charity events'.

Over the years of hard work, Toshinori could only recall actively trying to interact with other humans a few times. He'd called Gran Torino all of once. He'd gone to Dave's wedding when the time came and stayed for their early baby shower, but that was basically it. Over the time he'd lost himself in hero work, he'd forgotten that he only had one real friend.

Toshinori decided to end his own isolation by accepting the position for a sidekick, as dangerous as it was. He had a full stack of applications for heroes of all ages. Some were likely to be nearly three years old by this point, but he didn't know many that would refuse an offer to partner with the Number One hero, even if it was a few years later.

The first few held some hope, but they didn't feel right. After the first hundred, it was obvious that most were just in it for the fame. Some had a real reason to be there, but as soon as he read how big of a fan they were, he declined. He loved his fans more than anything, but it would make working with them difficult. If they weren't able to focus on anything but him, then how could they save other people's lives?

After the next three hundred, hope began to run dry. There wasn't a single application that him nor his secretary -a sweet woman that readily helped him with the long process of finding a sidekick- liked. There was a small pile of people who could possibly be good candidates, but a bit of research supplied that most of them had already either started their own agencies or were already someone else's sidekick. Perhaps waiting for so long wasn't a good idea.

"Are you sure you don't want to sort out all of the applications from the past year? It might make this process a bit faster." asked, not looking up from her handful of names.

"But what if we find someone really good?" He knew it was a lost cause, but he didn't want to skip over anyone who could be 'the one', as he'd said earlier.

"I know how badly you want your sidekick to be perfect, and you have every right to feel that way, but perhaps the training process could bring out all the potential you want?"

Toshinori let out a long sigh. She was right. They'd have to train whoever they picked away. Might as well go for whoever he thought could keep up with him and went from there. As he began throwing out a few papers, his eye hit something. He could've sworn it was glowing with importance. He plucked the paper from the waste bin and looked it over. It was nearly a full year old by this point. The application had been sent out when this person was almost graduating UA, which was a smart move. Applying to such a big agency -let alone the Number One hero's- would take time, as it was at the moment.

Turning away from the paper, he typed the young hero's name into 's small computer, struggling to hit the right keys with his too large fingers. He didn't find much on him, but there was a hero school attached. It wasn't UA, like most others were. This school was further south and lower in the heroics field.

The man's grades were nearly perfect, but Toshinori knew better than anyone that school grades weren't everything. He himself had gotten only average grades all through his time at UA. That also wasn't saying how intelligent he was either. Toshinori knew that he could be absent minded at times, especially during galas that he had no desire to be at.

"Mirai Sasaki." Toshinori read aloud. "Also known as Sir Nighteye in the hero community." He looked to his secretary for advice. Or maybe just encouragement.

"I'm not the boss here, Sir. If you want to interview him, then you can." She gave him a smile that told just how little she cared about whether he went for this or not.

"I think I will. He seems different to me. He's also making a peace sigh with his hand, which is kind of strange." The employees in charge of taking hero license pictures were very strict when it came to smiling or hand gestures. He'd only gotten away with it because he smiles on the field more often than he doesn't.

"If that's really what you want." She patted his large back as she left the room.

Toshinori decided to do it.

…

Nighteye stared at him for at least a minute before talking. He was obviously a fan, but he did show restraint. That was promising.

"So, Sir Nighteye! What do you think you'd add to my agency?" Toshinori pretended to look at a list of questions. He hadn't written a single one down. He wanted this to be genuine.

"Well, as popular as you are, I imagine that It could be difficult to keep up with all the paperwork required for such a position. I am quite an organized person and wouldn't mind taking that paperwork off of your hands." Sir Nighteye gave him a neutral look but his hands gripped at his loose suit sleeves.

Toshinori had to remind himself that he wanted a sidekick and not someone else to take his paperwork -though the offer was more than tempting. He wasn't getting the answers he wanted. He'd have to try another approach. "Well, if I wanted someone to take care of my paperwork then I wouldn't be interviewing you to be my sidekick." Toshinori nearly laughs at Nighteye's anxious expression, but he recovers quickly. That could be useful.

Standing up, Toshinori gives Nighteye a bright smile. They stay that way, in silence, until Toshinori grabs at his chest, gasping 'in pain' and falls to the ground. Nighteye is immediately on his feet and fretting over the older hero's now prone body. Toshinori coughs exactly three times before pretending to pass out. On his knees, Nighteye turns the big hero onto his side.

"All Might, are you alright?" He waits a beat before he leans down to listen to his heart beat. It's slower than normal, Toshinori knows, but not stopped. Control of breath had helped him several times with underwater missions. He could hold his breath for a couple of minutes, but it was on Nighteye when he would breath next.

Nighteye starts compressions first, but they're far too weak for someone of Toshinori's size. His hero suit is flexible and made for CPR to be possible without having to cut it away, lucky for Nighteye. After thirty or so barely felt compressions, the thin man goes for a breath and Toshinori lets him. If he was too scared to use mouth-to-mouth then what would they do if this situation was a reality?

Halfway through the second round of compressions, Nighteye seems to remember to ask for help and pulls out his phone. He tried to dial and do compressions at the same time but seems to fail at both. Before the man can finish dialing the number, Toshinori takes hold of the phone and sits up. He makes sure the phone is on the ground before turning back to Nighteye.

Toshinori can't help but laugh. Nighteye's expression is comical compared to his stoic picture. His eyes are wide and his mouth is wide open. After Toshinori's laughter dies down, he gets up and offers a hand. Nighteye doesn't take it.

"I'm sorry to scare you like that, but consider it training. There's no real way of knowing how you'd react." The older hero scratches at his cheek absently. Faking a heart attack probably wasn't the best option, but it did work.

"You're fine…" Nighteye sat down slowly and let out a long breath. A string of courses went out with it and Toshinori couldn't help but laugh at that.

"I have a bit of constructive criticism for your CPR skills, but I liked something very particular about the way you reacted." He crouches down to make eye contact with the man. "You weren't scared to help me, even if I'm All Might. That is something I value in a partner."

Nighteye stood up again, though his legs were shaky. "Thank you, Sir. I'd like to know what I can do to improve."

Toshinori's eyebrows rose and he paused. He hadn't expected that. That was another train he liked about this one. It was starting to feel like Christmas. "Well, for someone of my size, your compressions will have to be a lot deeper. Most of them barely did anything, let alone pumped my heart. I also noticed that you forgot to ask for help before and when you did, you tried to multi-task. In the future, I'd advise against doing that. It'd better to dial, then do compressions. You'll waste time if you don't."

Nighteye gave a short nod and bowed. "Thank you for your advice, All Might." He stood up again and trained a hard look on Toshinori. "I also have a bit of advice myself, if you're willing to hear it."

"I, ah, of course!" Toshinori made wide gestures for the man to continue.

"I wouldn't pretend to have a heart attack if I were you. If it's a reaction you want, then you could've attacked me. Not only would you have seen if I would react the way you wanted, but you'd also see what my fighting style is like against someone who fights with your level of strength. If we'll be working together, I'll need to be able to account for your strength as much as I will any villain."

Toshinori threw his head back and laughed once again. He couldn't get enough of this guy. "Thank you, Sire Nighteye! You seem to have a lot of good ideas. I'll look forward to working with you by my side."

The thin man froze, seeming to wonder if he'd heard right. "Did you…"

Toshinori took Nighteye's hand and shook it with a strong grip. "Welcome to Might Tower, Sir Nighteye. I look forward to working with you." He gave a bright smile and a big wink. Hopefully that cleared up any confusion.

"Yes, Sir!" Nighteye shook back, a small smile playing on his lips.

"We're partners! Just call me by my hero name. We don't need to be so formal."

Nighteye's smile fell away, but his firm grip didn't. "I prefer to address you as my boss, even if we will be working together. It's respectful and I'd hate to disrespect you or your agency."

Once again, Toshinori found himself surprised. "Oh. Well, then Sir it is! Um, could we also discuss that paperwork arrangement as well?" He could feel that this was going to be a good decision already.

…

Nighteye was not a physical fighter and hardly ever went onto the battlefield, but that wasn't to say that the man didn't help during fights.

When it was needed, Toshinori would hear a shout of directions. Typically, it was just to stay away from certain people or to avoid certain areas. Most villains had no idea that Nighteye was working behind the scenes of nearly each battle and were typically awed when he managed to avoid an attack by the skin of his teeth. Then again, hardly anyone could get a hit on him that actually hurt. That seemed to be another aspect of his power.

There was one time, during a battle, that Toshinori had decided to ignore Nighteye's clear instructions and he'd ended up losing half of his cape. Of course he'd gotten in trouble for it, but for this situation, it couldn't be helped.

"I told you to leave the group and you didn't." Nighteye had his arms crossed.

"I was signing autographs! How was I supposed to know that someone was going to climb me like a ladder and rip my cape off?!" Now he could add that to the long list of crazy fan interactions, not that he had anyone to really share them with other than Nighteye. He already knew his sidekick wouldn't appreciate a single one of them, no matter how funny they would've been at the time.

"And if that person had been a villain waiting to hurt you?"

Toshinori let out a long sigh. They'd already gone over this. "Nighteye, please leave my office." He was suddenly exhausted and wanted nothing more than to call it a night and go home, but he couldn't leave yet. He still had to get his cape fixed before tomorrow.

Nighteye left but not without leaving his frustration behind. Toshinori looked through a few files but gave up when his eyes blurred. He couldn't understand why the man was so determined to keep everyone away from him. It hadn't been the first time that someone had touched his suit like that and it wouldn't be the last. Honestly, he'd had worse interactions. He'd been groped before, many times.

With a long sigh, Toshinori decided to actually do something about his ruined cape. Whoever had that ripped half was likely selling it online for thousands of yen, or had hung it up on their wall like a deer head. It would just be filed away like the person that had stolen a shoe from him. It was all a part of being the Symbol of Peace.

Taking his cape in hand, Toshinori made his way to the door. Most of the lights were still on but he didn't care to check who was still working. Mr. Gesuido -the kind man that replaced his broken or stolen costume- would give him a hard time for this as well. At least the kind man wasn't going to lecture him like Nighteye had.

"Are you heading home, All Might?" Mrs. Kaime asked, knowing full well he wasn't.

"Sadly, no. I have to get my cape fixed before then. I can't save Japan with half a costume." He gave her a forced laugh and a smile he definitely didn't feel. She likely knew it too, but didn't comment.

"Well, your cape doesn't do the saving. I don't know why you'd need one to be the Symbol of Peace." She commented offhandedly.

"Ah, well...maybe so." He wasn't in the mood to debate about the work he did. If he wanted to talk about what exactly was saving people, he'd have let Nighteye stay for longer. Just the thought of it made him yawn.

"Well, If you aren't going to rest, I'd at least do something that isn't physically or mentally taxing. I've heard a few movies have come out recently." She gave him a small smile. She'd seen the posters he had for American movies.

"Perhaps I'll consider it. Have a good night, ." He gave her another smile before heading out. He could get there in a few jumps, but there was risk of not quite sticking the landing. He decided to walk this time.

It was like letting out a breath. He let One For All ease away from his heart and his entire figure slumped with a hot puff of steam. His hair fell down and frizzed into the same mess it used to be when he was younger. His suit felt less tight and for once, he didn't look like a muscle balloon. He was still freakishly tall though.

Grabbing a T-shirt and jeans, -he'd started keeping a change of clothes in his office for situations like this- Toshinori walked to the train station. He enjoyed not being the center of attention for once. Of course, there was always the fear of his lazy disguise giving him away but he didn't worry too much over it. If someone recognized him, then good for them. He was still holding the shredded cape, so the connection wouldn't be too difficult to make.

It took nearly thirty minutes to get across town. On the train, Toshinori had allowed himself a small nap, but it did nothing for his exhaustion. He'd lost a lot of sleep over the last few weeks and he wouldn't get that sleep back through a small nap. Discarding the train of thought, Toshinori makes his way into the small tailor's shop.

"Ah, welcome back, Sir." Mr. Gesuido waved, dropping the shirt he was already stitching together onto his desk. He gave a wide smile and was already extending his hand to take the cape. "What happened this time? Fans, villains? Get it snagged on another lightning rod?"

The latter had been a complete accident and was very embarrassing to report about. Toshinori let out a long sigh and sat down in a chair barely big enough to hold him. If he hadn't puffed down, he probably wouldn't have. "Just a fan this time. I'll tell you if I see it online later this week." It was meant to be a joke, but they both knew how high the possibility was.

"I'm starting to think that you should get a new design. These capes are becoming more troublesome than helpful. When was the last time you actually needed it?" The small man started looking through his different fabrics, testing a few for color.

"Well, today probably. If it wasn't my cape then it's either be my hair or the suit itself." It also helped when reporters tried to sneak a picture or two of his backside without his knowledge. His cape would cover what he didn't want on the front page of the news -not that his butt hadn't made it there yet- but did little else. From time to time, he'd get it twisted around his body and any villain could use that against him.

"You could discuss it with then. You've had a cape for long enough that not having one could get you some extra popularity. Imagine how the media would flair." He said it was if that was a good thing.

"I don't know if that's really needed. I can barely get a break from the media as it is. Nighteye's making me turn down a few interviews as it is. I don't really mind, though. They all ask the same questions." Toshinori let himself ramble for a little bit before staying silent. It wasn't 's job to take care of him.

He was going to be around 40 next month...or was it 30? He couldn't remember. He'd stopped celebrating birthdays for a long time and eventually lost track of the numbers. What was the point in keeping track anyway? It'd just prove how old he was. Whatever age he would be, it was high enough to not need a babysitter. He waited patiently for Mr. Gesuide to finish stitching the outline for another cape before starting up another conversation.

"How, ah, your granddaughter? Is she still planning to try out for that big dance university?" Tposhinori had seen the woman dance and he could tell immediately that she was going places. He had even offered to help her pay for her education, but she refused. She was a strong woman.

"Yeah! She just got her acceptance letter a few days ago, actually. She's so excited to make her dream come true."

Toshinori felt a genuine smile fall onto his lips easily. "Congratulations! You better tell her that All Might's rooting for her." He let out a soft chuckle with it.

"I'll be sure to. Her dance teacher's been helping her a lot too. Have you ever met her? I can't quite remember the woman's name but she'd got this cool colonization quirk."

Toshinori paused at that. Images of someone he used to know a lifetime ago suddenly flooded his mind. He hadn't thought about Hanten for years and he suddenly wished he had. What was she doing now? How had she turned out? She must've moved districts while he was off in America since he'd never seen her in all his years as the Number One hero.

Did she know who he was? Every day, when she saw the 'Great All Might' on tv, did she think of him? Shaking the thoughts away, Toshinori finally responded to the comment about Mr. Gesuide's granddaughter's teacher.

"What kind of colorization quirk?" Toshinori asked with a lot more than curiosity in his tone. He should've reprimanded himself for getting his hopes up.

"Oh, it's like a camouflage thing." Immediately, Toshinori's hope fell away. "She can change her skin to match her surroundings- hey! What's up with that frown?" The man set the cape down and turned his attention to Toshinori.

Toshinori felt a smile automatically fall onto his face, like a defense mechanism. "Sorry! I was just thinking too much. Tell me when the cape's done, alright?" He physically turned away from the older man and pulled his phone out. He checked a few news articles and did see half of his cape up for sale. He was tempted to buy it from them, but decided against it. Fans could be fans. Buying it would do him no good.

With a new cape and a little money given to Mr. Gesuide for his granddaughter's education, Toshinori was off again. This time, he jumped to his small apartment on the south side of Tokyo. He made a sticky note about looking up more on Hanten, but he let it for tomorrow. The sun had set hours ago and he was more than ready to call it a night.

As Toshinori fell into sleep, he couldn't help but rethink those old times, back at UA. It'd been so long...perhaps he could check a few other things from his past as well. But that was also left for tomorrow.

Author's Notes: Yoo! I'm so deeply sorry for not updating for like a week or two. It's been hard for me to find the motivation to write and this chapter was especially hard to figure out for me. Luckily, I managed to get it finished! Thanks so much for your patience!


	8. Chapter 8

Apparently, Hanten had been a successful underground hero, and because of that act, she had little to no information on her. No matter how Toshinori tried, he couldn't find a lick of information about her. She might as well have dropped off the face of the planet.

Toshinori took the problem up with Nighteye, who discouraged trying to stalk another pro hero, but eventually caved in -it took a long conversation about the definition of stalking and a long explanation of Toshinori's time in UA.

It turned out that Nighteye was very good at finding such information. He'd found the woman's hero name, last worked case and the names of a few other heroes she's worked with. His sidekick managed to pull up a video as well.

"Perhaps you could watch this on your own time. I remember there being a city to save, at the moment." Nighteye pushed up his glasses and clapped his laptop shut. Toshinori slumped and rubbed his hands together.

"Could you at least send me a link? I don't want to ask you for permission." He pulled at a long strand of hair. He'd need another haircut soon and maybe a shave. He could start feeling stubble poking at his palm. Maybe tomorrow. He had work to do today.

"I'll have to help you figure out your email anyway, but if you truly want." Nighteye let out a long sigh and rubbed at his temples -a migraine no doubt caused by the older hero.

"So, you'll send it to me, right?" Toshinori spoke as he walked backwards out of Nighteye's office. He could get to whatever disaster was going on in less than a minute. He had a little time to spare, right? Right.

"Yes, now please go. We both know that arriving too late will ruin your week."

It rarely happened, but when All Might managed to show up too late to save someone, it usually ended up making him more sober than he'd like. Sometimes, they'd carry into his nightmares, just adding to the list of reasons he couldn't sleep well. To avoid wasting time, Toshinori gave a last smile and thumbs up to Nighteye before running out of the building.

He'd made it to a villain attack just before a building collapse. He'd saved an entire school of children from dying. He'd have to thank Nighteye later.

…

The video was shaky and too dark to really see much, but he could make out bits and pieces of the fight that played on his small screen. Whoever had filed it was obviously scared or just really bad at holding their camera. Within a few seconds, the blur of dark colors had taken down three villains with the grappling hooks Toshinori had seen her get their third year at UA.

Further research showed that she had a very secret life and lived the way most other underground heroes did. Typically, they could barely make enough money to keep their head above water. Some drowned. The pay was difficult, since they were undercover. It makes police officers feel morally wrong to pay someone who had just been in the same slums the recently arrested villains had. Often, other heroes would end up with their pay and without the help of the media, it was hard to get much of anything done.

This was why Toshinori decided to build an organization for the underground community. Anonymously, of course. He donated over one million yen to each downtown hospital and an additional five hundred thousand yen to each underground hero's card through the police station. It wasn't the most he could do, but Nighteye would've killed him if he had donated any more. He still had to use a good percentage of his income to pay those who worked at his agency -they got more than he did each month- and for building repair. He was still working on damage control.

The underground community slowly became more popular, but in the best sense. They didn't gain any unnecessary media coverage, other than the random donations. They become noticed as hard working heroes who deserved the pay they got just as much as those who worked in the open streets. Toshinori only hopped that Hanten could now live a better life.

…

Being the Symbol of Peace meant that the public trusted you. It meant that you were a true hero in their eyes and would stand for them, unwavering. To be a symbol for all humanity was to protect without payment. Another side effect of that role was being used to the community's advantage.

Toshinori had been forced to go to more than one gala that he had no desire to be at. After running away from them because of his duty as a hero, they'd started making him sign contracts that promised that he would stay the entire gala. It was never someone he enjoyed doing, but had to, to show the public that he cared.

As he walked through the large room of the latest Summer Spring Gala, he noticed a number of hands landing on him. The first few had seemed like just grazes, accidents. Then, they become more bold. Some pulled at his suit, others traced their fingers along his thighs or arms. One even groped him. He smiled and waved through the touches because this wasn't the first time and definitely wouldn't be the last.

Year after year, he'd endured touches like this simply because of who he was. Slowly, he stopped jumping away from them and even started to expect them. This was the price he had to make to keep Japan safe. To keep everyone smiling and happy. This was what he got for trying to become someone that everyone loved.

"It's a lovely evening, . The wine is sharp and the occupants seem even sharper." Toshinori let his booming voice echo through the air, attracting more unnecessary attention.

"Indeed it is. Say, would you mind if I spoke privately with you?" She leaned forward, looking at him from under her eyelashes.

He felt tired and wanted nothing more than to go home, but he smiled brighter and nodded, following the hostess to the far corner. Once they settled, all eyes still on them, she pointed to a certain girl in the crowd. She had a strength mutation and stood a little less than a foot under him. Very tall for such a young woman.

"That is the pro hero Builder. She's known for her amazing strength but he's a bit shy. I think your quirks would work wonderfully together. You use wind pressure to knock enemies back, but with another strength quirk, what do you think the possibilities could be?"

Toshinori suddenly felt very uncomfortable and really wanted to leave. He almost wished a villain would break in. "Um, are you suggesting a quirk marriage?"

"Oh! You could also go with Striker. She's a bit harder to deal with, but her sound wave quirk would also do well with-"

"I apologize, but I'm not exactly looking to get married at the moment." or ever. It was too dangerous to bring someone one into the mess of his quirk. All For One was still roaming around somewhere.

"And why not? You're a very handsome young man and I'm starting to fear you'll miss a shot at a good quirk combination. Endeavor just went into a quirk marriage, you know." She gave him a sly wink.

He'd heard the news about that but bringing the Number Two hero did nothing to convince him. He knew that Todoroki's anger and determination to become Number One had nothing to do with protection and saving lives. It was all in his ego and that quirk marriage had proved it.

"I must thank you for your advice, Mrs. Yarren, but like I said before, I'm not interested in getting married." He needed to get away from this conversation before he said something he'd regret.

With a polite bow, Toshinori made his way back into the crowd, getting touched almost immediately. He really did hate galas.

Author's Notes: I'm really sorry that this took so long to get out. Quarantine has done no good for my motivation to write and I have no idea where to take this. I'm starting to think that I should just wrap it up quickly so I don't leave anyone hanging.


	9. Chapter 9

Toshinori received a report from the police department about a special assignment. Apparently, they had been investigating a certain warehouse near the docks in Sendai that was known to have many experiments done with animals that have quirks. The only reason anyone had thought to go into the case was because an underground hero had captured a few of the scientists with Trigger.

"So, you want me to break in and beat everyone up?" Toshinori asked. He wasn't oblivious to the damage he could cause and if they were working with supernatural, living animals, he couldn't possibly be the best for this job.

"I know the caution you have when it comes to protecting civilians. I don't only want to get the Trigger out of that lab, but the animals too. Any other hero would just leave the poor creatures there to suffer more. Please, All Might." The chief detective pleaded.

Toshinori felt his smile split wider to cover his anger. Any hero who refused to save even animal lives didn't deserve their license. "If you're sure, then I'd gladly work this case with you. Just give me the time and I'll make sure those animals and the drug get out safely. He even saluted, silly as it felt.

The chief gave him a bright smile through tired, bloodshot eyes. Toshinori knew that the heroes and police working on this case had not slept a wink in days, if not weeks. He owed it to them to do the job right.

…

The initial break in was easy. With Nighteye to predict everyone's moves and a second ear piece to help him map out the maze of tunnels and labs, Toshinori was able to burst in and knock out a good dozen of lab workers.

That was about as easy as it got. After the villains had realized that he was here -he did shout it out, after all- they began packing up their drugs and animals. A few stronger villains used some samples of the drug to keep him away for long enough to escape. That was when Toshinori realized just how much he hated Trigger.

A fist the size of Toshinori's head knocked him back, making him stumble. The villain laughed at him and threw another punch, but missed. The Trigger did nothing for the villain's speed, which to Toshinori's luck, but it did make every blow he managed to hit worse. A well timed hit to the stomach had him embedded into the wall behind him. He was cornered and still getting hit.

One For All buzzed just under his skin, begging to be used. He threw a punch of his own, hitting the villain in the jaw and sending the giant man backward. He landed on some of the animal cages and Toshinori started to panic. If he killed an animal through his lack of control, then he'd never forgive himself.

Flying forward, Toshinori flipped the villain over and pinned him down. There was a time limit to Trigger, so if he just waited it out, the animals should be safe, right? A roar of a car engine reminded him that he didn't actually have time to wait for the trigger to wear off. He had to get to that truck and fast.

Wrapping a large pipe around the villain's arms, Toshinori sped forward and grabbed both sides of the truck just before it drove away. His hands dented into the metal and smoke started flowing up from the tired, a burnt rubber smell lifting through the air. One of the villains opened the back doors to try and knock him off, but that just gave him the opportunity to throw that villain behind him and get a better look of what they actually took. Seven animal cages and several cases full of what he assumed was Trigger.

"You're not going anywhere!" He beamed, kicking one of the wheels of the vehicle, sending the tire flying. The truck went lopsided but at least it kept it from driving off. He let go of the truck and ventured to the front. The driver fell out of the side door, landing on his head. He was out cold. Toshinori sighed to himself. That made his job a little easier.

"I have a car full of Trigger. Send someone to retrieve this and I'll look for any other run away cars." He spoke into his ear piece, receiving an affirmative from the chief and his sidekick. With a few jumps, he was across the dock and chasing down another car.

By the end of the night, all traces of the drug were gathered and the few animals that the villains had left alive were being transported to a local vet. One specific cage seemed to jump out to Toshinori. Slowly, he walked away from the crowd of police officers -and paperwork- and looked at the small cage. It looked like something had chewed through the bars themselves. He touched the bend of each, trying to think through all of the animals he'd seen. What could've done this?

A flash of white had him turning around. He saw the small, bleeding face of some kind of mouse thing before it ran off into the alley way. When he looked down the dark alley, it was long gone. Something told him that it was better off on it's own. An animal with a quirk could do many things. He hoped he wouldn't find the poor thing in some cafe, scaring all of the patrons out.

"All Might?" A soft, feminine voice whispered behind him. He turned around quickly, nearly hitting the short woman in the face as he turned. Hanten.

He didn't know what to say. "Are you…" He trained off, thinking of all the things that had changed about her since he'd last seen her in person. She looked tired but surprised, as if he wasn't real. She had changed her hero costume as well, but didn't he already know that?

"You're...tall." She spoke simply, a small smile playing on her lips. "Taller than you were, which is surprising." She acted as if nothing had changed between them. It was refreshing.

"I...um...yeah." He muttered, stupidly. "H-how have you been? Oh! That's probably a stupid question, huh? It's been…" How old was he again? He'd lost track of the years.

"A while." She finished. "I really shouldn't be seen talking to you but...I wanted to tell you that I don't hate you."

She didn't? He'd left, told her to move on and made her cry. How could she not hate him? "Oh? Ah, thank you. Ah! I mean, um...thanks. For telling me." The corners of his lips instinctively turned upward.

Her expression shifted. Her smile fell and her eyes seemed sad now. It wasn't a good look for someone like her. "It's true then. What they say about being at the top." She gestured to him. "I barely recognize you under it all." She muttered it to herself and likely didn't want him hearing it, but he had.

He laughed instinctively. "It's not all bad." He couldn't think of an example. "Um...I didn't expect you to go into the underground business. I admire it though."

She knew he was avoiding that conversation but she played along anyway. She trusted him too much. "Actually, I'm planning on retiring soon."

Toshinori's eyebrows rose immediately. "What? But you love hero work, don't you?" He had to take a step back now. Underground work was different from the stuff he did. They tended to retire and die sooner than most other heroes. "I'm sorry. I understand that underground work is taxing at the best of times and I respect you for going into it. I just didn't expect you to retire so soon."

Thankfully, she smiled. "I have a family now. A little girl of my own and my hero work just...isn't good for the life I have now. I love this, Toshinori. I really do, but I love my family more."

In that moment, she reminded him of Nana. A hard working hero, one more than deserving of the title. Someone who had found love and grew a family. The only difference was that Nana couldn't just quite. She couldn't stop being a hero for her family, because she had to make sure he didn't do anything stupid. He pushed the suffocating guilt away, like he always did. "What will you be doing now? For work, I mean."

"I'm going to work in physical therapy for retired heroes. Sure, it doesn't really go well with my quirk, but I still want to help others and I think that's a good way to do it."

Toshinori saw her in a different view. Instead of her hero suit, he saw her in scrubs, helping someone who had ruined their body to protect the world they lived in. It fit her well. He could also imagine her, with her family. Her partner or spouse laughing with her, caring for her child. It was something she'd likely never known she wanted. It was something he could never have.

"Who knows." Her soft voice broke his train of thought. "Maybe I'll help you out when you get old."

He laughed at that, long and hard. It might have drawn a few gazes, but he didn't care. "That's bold to assume I'm not already old." After a soft sigh, he felt his chest lighten a little. "I'll look forward to it then."

He could tell she wanted to hug him like she used to, but it wouldn't go over well if anyone saw. He could see the scandalous headlines and the rage of whoever she'd fallen in love with. He didn't need that on his shoulders. Instead, he gave her a firm handshake and tried to relay all of the affection he felt through that simple gesture.

They were both called away inevitably. Toshinori knew he had stacks of paperwork to get through and even more work to do tonight before he got the change to sleep. Hanten disappeared by the time he had finished talking to the chief of the police. Standing alone, Toshinori whispered to himself. "I'll look forward to it, but I doubt I'll live to see it." His chest hurt just to think of it.

…

Toshinori received an email from Dave that contained both a picture of him and his wife -who was still pregnant- and an invitation to the baby shower. He'd booked a flight to America the next day and left his agency with a gusto of proud uncle cheers. Nighteye had promised up and down that Japan would continue to live without him, though Toshinori didn't need the encouragement.

He was able to pay for a full week into a local hotel even though both Dave and his beautiful wife Emma both insisted that he was welcome to stay with them. We wouldn't be able to use the guest bedroom as it was so it was a perfect place for Toshinori to stay. He had to politely decline. They knew that bed was far too weak and small for him to sleep in over a full week.

The hotel had been very kind to him and his outrageous body proportions. They'd given him the largest bed they had -which was roughly the same size as all the other beds. He'd had to curl up in the center and hoped by the love of the world that it didn't break. Why were American heroes not 600 lbs by average?

On the night of the baby shower, Toshinori showed up to the overly crowded home of the Shields with his distraction gift for the couple. His real gift was already parked in their garage.

"Toshi!" Dave burst through the front door before Toshinori could knock. "Get in here, Man! It's been forever!" The short brunette then turned to the rest of the occupants of the house and shouted. "The Symbol of Peace is here!"

It was funny how nearly everyone froze but the few that had met them in college. He wasn't nearly as popular in the states, but his American looks, fighting style and colors typically gathered their attention. He was also well known for the collaboration he'd done with America's number one.

"Come over here! Come over here-" Dave pulled Toshinori through the house, telling him to discard his gift -it was larger than most others, but it's not like it was a competition- and then sat him down with Emma, who was trying to cook her own party food. Dave had tried to stop her, no doubt but the woman was stubborn naturally. Pregnancy had only made that worse.

She immediately turned around and gave him a big hug. "Oh! Toshi!" their hug was spread wide due to the height difference and the baby growing inside of her. She released him after a tight squeeze and looked him over. "Cut shirt." She smiled and pulled him back toward the main party. Most people were still staring, but he was used to that by now. "How've you been holding up, Toshi? Tell me about being the Symbol of Peace in Japan."

He chuckled and sat down in a too small chair. This felt familiar, normal. He loved it. "I honestly don't know what to say." His English returned naturally. It was like he'd never left. Toshinori talked about the strange rescues he'd done over the past few years -the vinegar one sent her and quite a few others into long laughing fits. The conversation then shifted to the star of the party: the unborn baby, Melissa.

"Oh, she'd been kicking and kicking all night long. Dave's been sleeping on the couch for a little while now. I got mad at him the first night, but he still works. It just makes sense." Emma sighed out, rubbing a hand over her bump.

"I'm sorry. I know how hard it must be to sleep alone in a time like this. The last few months are typically the hardest for both of you." Toshinori rested a large hand on her shoulder. He knew the feeling of waking up alone every day, but their situations were very different. She was used to waking up to a loving husband. He'd never had a chance.

"Oh, don't get all sad. We're still going strong. I only have a few days left but the doctor's thinking she'll be late." She flipped her blonde ponytail over her shoulder and huffed. "I just want this baby out." She groaned.

Toshinori chuckled and leaned against the side of the couch. They could hear Dave playing host in the other room. "Just imagine how rewarding this will all be. As soon as she's out, you'll have your very own little person." He wanted it too, so badly, but he could be happy for his friends.

Emma gave him a soft smile and hugged him tight again. When she spoke this time, it was quiet, like they were sharing a secret. "I know you want to have a family, Toshi. You deserve nothing more than to have something like this." Her hands felt so small when they were wrapped around his waist. "You're an amazing friend, you know that? There have been so many people who've doubted us or bragged about their own family, but you've been so patient and kind. We owe you the world."

"Hey now! I'm just doing what any good friend should. There's no debt involved, alright?" Now he was starting to question whether buying them a car was a good idea or not. They needed one, but he didn't want them to feel bad.

Emma sniffed, releasing him from her tight embrace. She wiped at the streams on her cheeks and gave him a big smile. "I'm glad you're here, Toshi." She leaned in closer to whisper again. This one was likely an actual secret. "Don't tell Dave, but you're my favorite guest."

He laughed and took a long sip from his cup. American tea never tasted good. "Of course I am. I'm the Symbol of Peace, after all." He made a show of flexing by habit. "Besides, Dave would likely agree."

They laughed together and decided it was about time they joined the rest of the party. Dave needed a break from entertaining guests at some point. As soon as Toshinori walked into the room, the attention was on him again. He gave them a peace sign and a wink before suggesting they start eating baby themed cakes and giving out gifts. Tonight was about them, not him.

The cake was a little disturbing to eat. It was shaped like a pregnant woman's stomach and each cut made him cringe. He'd almost forgotten how strange Americans were when it came to food. If only he could show Nighteye. Maybe then his sidekick wouldn't blame his American ways for his strange diet. The thought made him chuckle, but he didn't share it. No one else really knew Nighteye well enough to find it funny.

Most guests seemed to have the same ideas for gifts. There were three onesies, seven pairs of socks and two complete sets of twenty girl toys. Emma almost cried over every single one of them. By the time everyone left and his distraction gift was filed away with everyone else's -he'd gotten them an All Might brand mobile for Melissa's crib- he was able to get a real conversation out of the couple.

"You know...I didn't actually get you a mobile for Melissa." He admitted with only a small smirk.

Dave immediately stared at him in disbelief. "Toshi, no. you didn't-"

"Just walk outside with me." Toshinori stood up and started walking toward the front door. The couple shouted protests at whatever they thought he'd gotten them. They did follow him, however. Just as he managed to walk out of the doorway, Emma gasped and fell to her knees. Their new Honda Accord stood just outside, a large bow on the top. He moved to let Dave get a better look. "Since the Mightmobile's gone, I assumed you'd need a new one, especially with a new member of the family coming soon."

Both of them cried and thanked him more than he felt he deserved, but he accepted the praise. This wasn't about him and causing a fuss would only make it worse.

…

The baby came the very next day.

Toshinori had been showering at the time, getting ready for an outing with the couple in just a few hours. After hearing the phone ring not once but twice, he shut off the scalding water and towel down as best he could. He only slipped a little on the wet floor and once he'd made it to the small phone in his hotel room, he felt anxiety rise. Why would he be getting a phone call from the local hospital?

"Hello?"

"Toshi! Hey, um, I'm at the hospital right now. Emma just went into labor." Dave sounded panicked.

"Oh! I'll be on my way! Don't panic!" He smiled on instinct and threw on whatever he could find before leaping -slightly illegally- toward the California Hospital in record speed. The receptionist had been more than frustrating to deal with, but he kept his smile in place.

"I'm a very close friend and asked me to be here. I promise."

"I'm sorry, but until you're 's husband, you can't go into the delivery room. That's just the rules here."

Toshinori huffed out and ran a hand over his face. Stupid rules. Stupid hospitals. Stupid labor. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid-

"I signed him off. He's a hero, Ma'am." Dave ran down the long halls. His long hair was definitely unbrushed and Toshinori wished he'd brought a brush. Maybe he had enough time before the actual delivery to get one.

The receptionist looked between them before nodding, letting Toshinori join Dave in the hall. They rushed down the hall to the delivery room but he didn't go inside until a doctor gave him permission. He still wasn't her husband and didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Toshi. Dave." Emma smiled at the two of them. Her hair was in a messy bun, her skin was shiny with sweat and she was obviously exhausted. Even though she hadn't gone through the main course of labor yet, the contractions before were still horrible to endure.

"Hey, Honey. Just hang on tight, alright? It's going to be alright." Dave took her hand in his and kissed it gently. Another wave of pain washed over her and Toshinori cringed in sympathy.

He turned to the closest doctor. "How long until she's fully dilated?" Dave gave him an odd look. "I was thinking of getting them some breakfast and maybe a few other things for comfort. Would that be allowed?"

The doctor looked him over. "I'd say about three or so hours, but there's really no telling just yet. She's at a three right now but that could change really quickly." The doctor looked through a few things before continuing. "What kinds of things would you be getting?"

Toshinori ran through the items on his mental list and tried to translate each into English. He'd had to learn quite a few baby themed terms lately. "Um, I was going to get a pillow and their baby blanket, for Melissa." He gestured vaguely. "I shouldn't take long at all." He hoped there wouldn't be a villain attack on his way.

"We have a lot of pillows in storage here but a blanket would be okay. Make sure that you include some fruits and natural energizers into their breakfasts as well." The doctor nodded to him and continued their work. With a wink toward the couple and a thumbs up, he ran from the room -only using a bit of his quirk- and toward the Shields home.

He'd gotten a spare key from Dave once he arrived in America in case something like this happened. It was easy to find the baby blanket -it was purple with lilacs on it- and a good breakfast for the two of them. He could wait to eat after.

Just as Toshinori was making his way back, an American officer stopped him. Anxiety shot through his veins and he quickly gave a bright smile. He usually didn't have to worry about getting in trouble with the police, but he wasn't in Japan anymore. "Hello, officer. What seems to be the problem?" He had a good guess.

"Sir, do you have a license to be using your quirk freely?" The officer looked at him from under her sunglasses.

Toshinori fought back a sigh and got out his hero license and passport. He'd left his visa at the hotel and didn't have his insurance cards either. Not that they would be much help. "I haven't been in America for a little while and I sometimes forget that I'm not a hero here anymore." He rambled from the nerves. Dave and Emma were still waiting for him.

The police officer took her time looking over his passport, but her eyes went wide once she was his license. "All Might?! You're Japan's Number One, aren't you? You did that team up with Wonder Woman! That was so cool!"

Toshinori was not a rude man by any means, but he did feel the urge to just snatch away his ID and leave. Instead, he set himself into his fanservice mode. "Yes, I guess I'm kind of well known here too, huh? Well, I'm in a bit of a hurry and-"

"Could I get an autograph for my daughter? She loved Wonder Woman and loved your team up! She even has a poster of it!" She was already fishing out a pen and paper.

"Oh! Of course!" His smile felt more forced and he signed his signature a lot faster than he should've but he could let his manners down this once. "There you are!" The officer looked at it for a long while, touching it softly. He cleared his throat and when she didn't pay attention, he decided to let go of his smile. "May I have my license and passport back?"

She finally looked up again and smiled awkwardly. "Of course! Just make sure to take the train next time." She handed his card back and smiled as he walked away. Shoving the annoyance back, he decided to run to the hospital this time. No one would know if he ran just a little over the natural speed, right?

He had to hurry.

Author's Noted: This one's a bit longer and I finally got my footing for this part. I wanted to establish a good relationship between All Might and Dave's wife to make his relationship with Melissa better as well.


	10. Chapter 10

Emma didn't make it.

It wasn't unusual for mothers to die during childbirth, but it was never easy to experience. She'd been pushing and breathing like the doctors told her but the moment Melissa was finally out and getting washed up, her heart slowed from the adrenaline spike too quickly and took her life.

Dave was devastated. Even while holding his new baby girl, he couldn't help but cry for the death of his wife. She was still in the hospital bed, cold and pale. The doctors were quick to shove both men out of the room and unfortunately, that meant taking Melissa away as well.

Toshinori was angry. He wanted to punch through the wall, but knew that wouldn't do anything but make things worse. Why? Why had this beautiful day been cursed by the death of such an amazing person? It wasn't fair. Dave and Emma both deserved to live happily, together. They deserved to drive home and carefully lay Melissa in her brand new crib. They were going to camp out in the hospital room while Emma recovered. Why did this perfect family have to be ripped apart from the seams?

A soft hand touched his own and Toshinori nearly flinched away. Dave was still sobbing, trying to hold something, someone that was no longer there. He tried to speak, his mouth open, but nothing came out. What could you say after something like that? How do you speak after losing everything that ever mattered to you?

"I know." Toshinori whispered, worried his anger would make Dave's hurting worse. He let out a breath and pulled his age old friend close, letting him cry into the likely dirty shirt he wore. His anger started to simmer away into plain emptiness and he wondered how they could continue. What were they going to do? What was going to happen to Melissa, now that Emma was gone? What if they lost the baby girl as well?

No. He couldn't think like that. If Dave lost his daughter, he'd likely never recover. He couldn't lose everything and Toshinori would make sure that happened. He would change the spin of the Earth if it meant that one good thing came from this.

"I should've been watching." Dave sobbed, his voice sounded raspy and sore. "If I'd just watched her closer, then maybe-" He interrupted himself with another hard sob.

Toshinori hugged his friend as close as he dared. "Don't say that. It's no one's fault, alright? No one was able to stop it." That almost made it worse. If it was no one's fault, then who was he going to blame? When Nana died, he had someone to turn his anger toward but now?

They sat in the waiting area for a long time before anyone came out to get them. It was the same doctor that had delivered Melissa. Toshinori could see the small tears in their eyes behind the mask they wore. "I'm sorry for your loss, . I wish we could do something more. You're allowed to come back to hold Melissa if you'd like."

Toshinori looked at his friend closely. It took a long pause, but Dave eventually nodded. Toshinori looked back to the doctor. "Thank you. We'd like to see her."

Standing was difficult when Dave refused to release his shirt. Toshinori held the smaller man's back and kept him steady as they walked through the long halls. They didn't go back to the delivery room, but a smaller nursery. There was no one else inside but a doctor with the little baby Melissa in their arms. Slowly, Dave stepped forward and took the baby into his own arms. Toshinori watched carefully, ready to catch either one of them.

Melissa was very pink and had little to no hair on her small head. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her limbs moved without any real coordination. There were a few tumbes on her arms and a large clip on her belly button. Or, what would later become her belly button. She was all wrapped up in the purple blanket Emma had made for her the first week of her pregnancy.

Dave turned toward Toshinori slowly, tears still streaming down his face, but he was smiling. "Toshi." He whispered as he looked back down to his daughter. Her little fingers wrapped around one of his fingers. "She's perfect." More tears came but he held her firmly.

Toshinori risked a step forward and leaned down to get closer to Dave's height. Dave started rocking her back and forth, whispering soft words to a child that couldn't understand him. When the brunette offered her to Toshinori, he refused. He couldn't trust himself to hold this beautiful child. He could kill her so easily but Dave laid her into his large arms anyway, insisting that Toshinori wouldn't hurt her.

She fit almost entirely in the palm of his hand. She was so, so tiny and weighed next to nothing. The blanket was soft against this wrist and the moment she realized she was no longer in her father's arms, she started to cry. Instead of anxiously offering her back, he chuckled and touched the soft fuzz on the top of her head with a single finger. His thumb was roughly the side of her face. "I'll be your favorite hero some day."

He could hear Dave laugh at that. He offered her back, reluctantly. As he watched his best friend cradle her closely, he finally understood that things would be okay. They could get through this, even if Emma couldn't see it. The world wouldn't end today. Toshinori was sure of it.

…

There were more people at the funeral than had gone to the baby shower. It was clear who only went to get attention by fake crying over someone they never cared about. To Toshinori, the only real people at the funeral were him, Dave and their families. They were the only ones who stayed for the whole ceremony, after all.

It was difficult to write a speech in such a short time. He had contacted Nighteye about the matter and was told to write it as if he were talking only to Melissa and no one else. What would Emma's daughter want to know about her own mother? So, that's exactly what Toshinori did. He stood in front of the entire crowd of fakes, gave them a sober smile and spoke only to Melissa.

After the burial, an older man had come up to Toshinori with a rude glare. "Aren't you Japanese fold supposed to be hard working? Why did you let Emma die like this if you're the Number One hero?"

The angry fire returned, but Toshinori knew better than to Texas Smash an elderly man, even if he deserved it. "It was nice having you here today. I'm sure Emma would have been relieved to know you came to mourn her with those she held close." He gave his most polite smile and excused himself. At least the shocked look gave him a sense of satisfaction.

The only other part of the funeral that Toshinori truly hated was how many people offered to hold Melissa. Dave kindly refused every time and Toshinori could only praise his friend for being so good. He understood that the first few likely wanted to relieve him of having to hold a whimpering baby while trying to mourn, but the more others offered, the more obvious it was that they just wanted to brag about holding a dead woman's child. Dave was smarter than to let these fakes gain a privilege like that.

After the funeral, both Dave and Toshinori returned to the Shields household. Toshinori had left his hotel in favor of staying with his friend for support. It had been much appreciated every time they ended waking up from Melissa's crying. She barely slept a full hour without crying before and after. It didn't help their mourning by any means, but at least they had each other's back.

"Maybe I should cut my hair." Dave commented offhandedly after they had finished putting Melissa to bed for the fourth time that night. It was only one in the morning.

"If you want. It might be a good idea when Melissa starts to pull at things." Toshinori spoke softly in the dark room. Even the moon seemed to be hiding tonight.

Dave chuckled at that. "Yeah. It just feels too much to take care of with a baby around. I can barely remember to brush my teeth every morning. Styling my hair just...doesn't seem so important now."

Toshinori understood the pain. He'd kept his hair as an unruly mess ever since they took Melissa home. Gelling his hair was at the back of his mind right now. "I think you'd look nice with short you. And maybe a beard." He laughed at that. The picture he imagined didn't look so nice.

Dave laughed as well. "I can do that. I've always hated shaving anyway." They went silent again and Toshinori was almost asleep when Dave spoke again. "I was thinking of applying to move my work to I-Island." He whispered it almost too softly to hear.

Toshinori shot up and looked at his best friend for a long while. This wasn't a joke. "That's amazing, Dave!" The shushes Dave gave him made him feel a little bad for shouting. "You should definitely go for that. You're a brilliant scientist and I-Island would be lucky to have you. It could be a great experience with Melissa as well."

Dave smiled a little but new anxieties made it fall. "But when you work there, you live there too. It might be harder for Melissa to make friends and get to know people like that."

"I'm sure you won't be the only parent on the island." Toshinori argued.

"What about you? It's really hard to just fly out there every year or so. You need a lot of-"

"I'm the Symbol of Peace. I think I can figure something out." He chuckled.

Dave nodded to that but something else was bothering him. "Would Emma be okay with me just leaving like that? I mean, we're still paying off this house and you just got us a car. Would she really be okay if I just moved like this?"

It was a valid fear. Emma had loved their new home in California and Dave had likely never voiced his idea to apply for work at the island to her. They had no way of really knowing if she liked it or not. "I don't know, Dave. I can't speak for her, but I know that she would still love you, even if you did leave to work at I-Island."

Dave seemed content with that and gave him a soft smile. "Thanks, Toshi. I really do appreciate you being here for me."

"Of course. Now go to bed." Dave huffed a laugh and they turned away from each other on the large bed -it was still too small for Toshinori. Melissa woke up about thirty minutes after that. At least they tried.

…

Nighteye was very supportive of Toshinori's grief when he returned to Japan. His sidekick had gotten the entire agency to throw him a sort of welcome home party. It helped him get his mind off of Dave and Melissa. He had already promised his friend that he'd return again next year for Melissa's first birthday and again as soon as he could.

The party was a bit small and the cake had significantly less sugar but he still enjoyed it. He had made a point to thank each and every employee afterward, giving out a few personalized gifts. Nighteye rolled his eyes at it, but he knew not to argue with the "saint side" of Toshinori.

Constant hero work also helped his healing process. He was able to get his mind off of death and pain and onto saving others. It was easy to make other's lives better when his wasn't as good. Their smiles and happy tears made a part of him grateful for the people of Japan.

That grateful feeling must've been what finally convinced Toshinori to tell Nighteye about One For All. He was his sidekick after all. He deserved to know the truth about his own boss's quirk.

So, he told him. He started at the beginning, with All For One and his brother. Then, he talked about how Nana passed her quirk onto him and how he plans to pass it along as well, someday. Nighteye had stayed steadily quiet through the entire experience and only spoke one Toshinori had finished.

"How is that possible?" Nighteye sounded calm but there was a slight hint of confusion. Or was it just shock?

"I don't know. Quirks are strange things and you never know-"

"No. I meant, how did she physically pass it to you? Was it through blood transfusion? Or was it by another factor of the quirk?" Now, Nighteye sat back and seemed to analyze him. It made him nervous.

"Ah, we transferred it through DNA." He hoped his sidekick wouldn't press.

"How so?" Apparently, his luck had run out.

"Well...I ate a hair." He muttered it, a pink flush warming his cheeks.

Nighteye didn't say anything for a while. It was awkward, not knowing exactly what his sidekick was thinking. Was he judging it? Toshinori wasn't sure how else to transfer the quirk without doing something disgusting or illegal. Sure, eating hair was pretty gross, but he'd rather it than cannibalism or drinking blood. "Can someone force your quirk out? If I were to pluck a hair from your head and eat it, would I gain your power?"

Was that what Nighteye was thinking of? "No. No, we both need to be willing in order to pass it on. If I decide to never give it up, then no one can stop me. If a person I choose as my successor doesn't want it, I can't force them either."

"Good. And what happens after you pass it on? To you, I mean. Do you immediately lose your powers?"

Another very good question. "No. It'll fade and I'll become weaker, but I'll have some time after, but it depends on how much I use it. My...um, my master didn't live long enough to really tell." He tried not to think too hard on that part. If Nana hadn't passed on One For All, would she have survived?

"Hm. Thank you for trusting me with this information, Sir. I understand that it's a well kept secret and I plan to continue to keep it that way. But...if I could use my Foresight on you, then I could-"

"No." Toshinori didn't snap, so much as firmly refuse. "I don't want you using your quirk on me. Whatever happens in the future will happen for a reason. So please, promise me that you won't use your quirk on me. Ever."

Nighteye seemed put off by this. He knew that looking into his future could prevent things. If Nighteye had been there, Emma likely wouldn't have died, at least not so quickly. The doctor's would've been warned, but the thought of looking ahead made Toshinori feel terrible. Life wasn't supposed to work like that.

"Yes, Sir. I promise." They shook on it, cementing the agreement. Toshinori knew how hard it must be to promise something like that, but he appreciated Nighteye's honesty.

"You're a good man, Nighteye." Toshinori smiled, standing up.

"Please," Nighteye held eye contact with Toshinori but his irises remained a sharp yellow color. "Call me Sasaki. At least in private."

Author's Notes: I treat the BNHA wiki like the law, and it actually didn't say anything about Nighteye and All Might being lovers. I likely won't make it a big part of this because of that but I can always imply that it might have happened.


	11. Chapter 11

For the next few years, Toshinori found himself balancing visits to I-Island, getting closer to Sasaki and trying to track down All For One after years of running. Getting a call from UA did nothing to help that balance stay in place, but as an alumni and a popular one at that, he was still willing to pay his old school a visit.

As he and Sasaki -his sidekick has also gone to UA during his high school years- walked through the large, stone gates of the UA campus, they saw a group of other pro heroes gathering around. Toshinori wasn't completely sure if school was in session yet but he didn't understand why the new principal of UA would invite so many alumni heroes if it were. He tried to keep to himself as well as he could near the back of the group and Sasaki seemed to do the same. Thanks to his amazing height, he was able to see over the group.

"Someone's passing out cards at the door" Toshinori told Sasaki aloud, drawing all eyes to him. He cursed himself for being so loud.

"Is that All Might?!" One pro hero turning their head became the whole group and eventually, he was talking to everyone about how strange it was to get a call back to UA or who this new principal was. He tried to listen, but so many people wanted his personal opinion, and he just didn't know. Sasaki gave out a small sigh and he started cutting through the crowd toward the front door. If they got their seats early, then maybe they wouldn't be stuck on the sad booths UA had when Toshinori went.

As soon as they made their way to the front door, they were each handed a small card that would allow them into the caliteria. It seemed like a strange place to meet, but he wasn't the one organizing the event.

The school itself hadn't changed since he'd last been there. The halls were the same colors but he did notice a carpet texture. When has that been changed? It could've been anytime since he was there. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a few teachers walking through the halls. He didn't recognize any of them, but a glimpse of a horse body made him rush into the cafeteria. He did not want to visit old teachers and his old homeroom teacher was definitely a no.

Other heroes filed in slowly but surely. The tables were the same and he instinctively moved to his usual booth, but Sasaki pulled him to the back wall. "I'm sure you would enjoy getting out of your chair again and these stools don't seem to be stable enough to hold you." Toshinori chuckled as they made their way to the back of the room. Whoever this new principal is would likely appreciate it as well.

It didn't take long for the lights to dim -when had they been able to do that?- and a short, fuzzy figure stood in front of them near the food court. The mouse, bear, dog thing was roughly the size of his lower leg and wore a full suit. It had a large scar running down it's eye but it looked old. "Welcome back to UA, Heroes." The mouse started, it's voice high but sophisticated. Was this a human with a mouse quirk or an animal with a quirk? "As the new principal of UA, I would like to personally introduce myself. I am Principal Nezu!" There was a long, awkward pause afterward.

It-he seemed to not care and jumped up onto a stool to get higher. "I understand that you may not like the new change or simply might not care, but I do appreciate each and every hero that showed up. I would love to meet with at least a few of you personally after the event, if you so wish but for now, I will go into the changes I plan to make to this school! First-"

Nezu then continued to list off not one, not two, but 47 different things he plans or would like to change about UA. The first thing was the way the entrance exam worked. It was severely flawed when Toshinori had taken it and mixed with the new technology advancements, it sounded like a great idea. A point system would definitely make it more fair and the use of false enemies would likely make dealing with younger students who didn't know how to use their own quirks much easier.

After the long list, -Toshinori had spaced most of it once he realized how small some details were, like the types of light bulbs used in the halls- Nezu began wrapping up and also mentioned a free cup of tea to anyone who stopped by his office for a short chat.

"Alright." Sasaki stood up straight and pushed his glasses up. "We should have a few hours before your meeting and your next patrol will start-"

"I'm going to meet with Nezu." Toshinori didn't mean to interrupt but the new sense of determination made him want to run after the small mouse-man just to get a chance to talk.

Sasaki knew better than to argue. He let out a long sigh before gesturing toward the overly crowded door of the cafeteria. "You may do as you please but if you miss your meeting, it will be bad for both of us." He warned before walking toward the door himself.

Toshinori walked out of the opposite door, wandering the halls. He'd never really gone to the principal's office before and after so many years, his memory was hazy. Was it two turns before he made it to the water fountains or three? He would curse his age but he couldn't possibly be old enough to actually have memory issues. Right? Right.

The soft sounds of chatter and a small line outside of a certain door in the hall proved that he wasn't completely lost. There were more than enough chairs along the walls for people to wait, which meant that these weren't likely 'small visits'. Well, as long as he got back to Might Tower in time to get to his meeting, he should be fine, right? Sasaki would forgive him eventually.

…

"Ah, All Might! It's so wonderful to finally meet you!" Nezu was already pushing a warm cup of tea toward him. The principal's desk was still the same but the chair had a crate and several pillows stacked on top. Toshinori wondered how troublesome it must be to get up and down all the time.

"Thank you, Principal Nezu, Sir. It's an honor to talk with you." Toshinori smiled genuinely. Something about Nezu told him that faking it wouldn't be a good or effective idea. "If I may ask, what exactly do you plan to get out of talking to us personally?" He had a hard time believing Nezu was as vanilla as he seemed.

"I truly am impressed with you, All Might. Most come in just to ask about a certain detail of my changes to UA or to simply introduce themselves. If I'm correct, you want to know my motives." Nezu began sipping at his tea -could mice bears drink tea?- but those black eyes stared at him the whole time.

"I guess you could say that. There's no real point in me coming back to UA other than for the pride of the school. I don't need to know you but if you may need me as a resource, It would be wise to know who I'm dealing with before we make any arrangements." Everyone needed the Symbol of Peace these days. It was more a question of who didn't than who did.

Nezu let out an airy laugh and set his tea cup down with a soft clink. "An interesting attack to this little chat. I might add that I'm not opposed to using Japan's greatest hero as a stepping stone, but I wish to go about it in a specific way, if I may."

Toshinori tilted his head to the side. A specific way? "My all means." He gestured widely, even throwing in a smile to help the man -was that the correct thing to say?- in case he needed it. Based on what little he knew of Nezu, he likely didn't.

"Do you remember the Trigger raid on the Sendai docks?" Nezu clasped his paws together.

The question sent Toshinori for a loop. How did Nezu know he'd worked that case? "Yes. It had been a small lab that tested Trigger on ani-" he paused half way through saying it. Nezu was...no way. Had he really been one of those animals? He didn't remember seeing any animals with scars like that other than...the one he'd seen run away. "You ran away that night, didn't you?"

Toshinori couldn't quite tell what Nezu was thinking. "I'm surprised you saw that, let alone remember. It has been quite a while since that particular incident." Nezu tapped at his desk as they sat in silence. The tea was likely getting cold but the mammal didn't seem to care. "It is true, that I was one of those animals. The quirk I have acquired is called High Spec and it allows me to think and process information on a level higher than any human. Because of this, I was fully aware of the horrible things done to me while I was tested on. Now, I don't bring this up for you to pity me but I do want you to understand that this experience has made me feel illy of most humans. I want you to prove to me that you are a good human."

Toshinori wasn't sure what to do with so much information. He had never imagined one of those animals with an intelligence quirk but having one would make those tests so much worse, wouldn't it? Nezu knew he was getting Trigger pumped into his veins. He knew what was happening to those around him as well but the worst thing might have been that he was the only one who did. He was alone in a lab full of suffering creatures with no way out. Well, until the heroes came.

Staring at his cup of now cold tea, Toshinori thought Nezu's request over. How could he prove to someone who rightfully hated his race that he wasn't like those villains? How could he dare to gain Nezu's trust with his words alone. Sasaki might have been able to do it, he was better with his words than Toshinori, but this wasn't about his sidekick.

Toshinori could only find one conclusion. "I can't." He looked up at the animal in front of him again. "I can't prove that I'm better than any other human being, because I'm not. I may be the Symbol of Peace, but I'm still human. I have no way of proving that I won't get upset or feel selfish." It didn't feel like a defeat.

Nezu slowly started smiling at him and began sipping at his tea again. "Well. I will say that I'm impressed. I've heard and seen great things from you, but I wasn't sure if it was all genuine. Thank you for visiting with me, All Might." Nezu began standing up from his tower of a seat, leaving Toshinori confused.

"Wait, are we done? Was that it?" What did Nezu mean? He'd just admitted to being no better than anyone else and yet he was getting praised for impressing Nezu? It made no sense.

"I've heard enough to know your true nature, All Might. There's no reason for me to not trust you. I can give you a card in case you need my assistance and I would love to speak with you again under less rushed circumstances. Thank you again." Nezu opened the door for him and even as Toshinori walked out of the small office, he found himself wondering what exactly had won this little battle.

Maybe he could look forward to more answers during their next little chat.

…

Toshinori did it. He called Gran Torino for the first time in years.

The old man hadn't picked up on the first call and when he did, he sounded about ready to kill whoever dared to interrupt his taiyaki time. Toshinori could already feel himself regretting the call as he answered the gruff curse.

"Hellp, Gran Torino-sensei. It's Toshinori." He waited for a response but nothing came. "I just wanted to call about some work I've been doing concerning-"

"Shut up." Gran Torino groaned through the phone. Was he hung over or something? Gran Torino hadn't been a drinker when he lived with the old man, but ten or so years can change a lot. Just imagining the old hero with a beer belly made him shiver.

"um...I wanted to talk to you." Toshinori spoke quieter this time. He still wasn't sure how his old sensei would react to the things he's been doing as a hero and part of him didn't even want to know.

"What?! What could possibly be so important that you came running back to me?!"

"It's about All For One." He whispered, hoping Gran Torino heard it only so he wouldn't have to say it again. Judging by the silence that followed, he had. He waited until the hero on the other side of the phone began speaking again.

A string of curses came out before any real sentence. "Where are you? I can't talk about this over the phone. Are you in your stupid tower?"

Now, a new fear presented itself. He had been okay with calling Gran Torino and by okay, he meant taking over three full days to build up the courage to just press the button. He could handle getting cursed and yelled at from over the phone, but in person? The thought of seeing him, in his office, made him start to shake. Would it undo all of the healing he's tried to maintain over the years? Would the grief of Nana come back in the shape of his old sensei?

"If you don't respond, I'm breaking into your agency." Gran Torino threatened.

"Yes, I'm here." He forced out and hung up before he could get a response. He needed someone else with him. Sasaki probably. If he did this alone, he'd cave and this entire thing would be useless. He needed Gran Torino's help whether he was scared or not.

Heaven help him.

Author's Notes: I'm sorry this one took a bit longer but I had to do a lot of fixing with the Nezu scene. Also, welcome back Gran Torino! It's been a while. I will mention again, that I checked for any canon romantic relationship between All Might and Nighteye and came up with nothing. Sorry fellas.


	12. Chapter 12

Gran Torino arrived in exactly 30 minutes. Toshinori watched every member of his agency take a full step away from the man as he passed through the large halls. He was like a force of pure anger walking straight toward him and all he had was Sasaki by his side to keep him from running. Gran Torino only made it up to his hip but his uniform was the same as it's always been, just smaller.

As soon as he made it to the two of them, he crossed his arms over his chest, already giving them a disappointed look. After a tense beat of silence, Gran Torino huffed out. "Have you lost your manners, Boy? You know it's rude to stare."

Toshinori couldn't help but pull at his cape. "Yes! Sorry. We can take this to my office." He turned quickly, trying his very best to hide the tension in his shoulders. This was for all of their benefit. They weren't here to talk about anything but All For One.

The chairs in Toshinori's office were too large for the older hero to just sit in. He had to climb up the cushion and his legs barely made it beyond the end of the chair at all. Toshinori had never been so glad that Sasaki wasn't much of a laughter. If anyone one of them had let out even a soft chuckle, Gran Torino would've sent them through the wall. He didn't need to pay for another wall right now.

"Well?" Gran Torino snapped impatiently. Toshinori spared a glance to Sasaki, who was obviously trying to piece the old hero's personality together. Or he was using his quirk. Either way, it was safe to leave his sidekick to his own devices. With a quick lock of the office door, Toshinori returned to the center of the room and pulled a file out of his desk drawer. It was the only thing he actually kept in his desk, since it mainly went unused now that Nighteye took care of the bulk of the paperwork. He placed the file on the long table and watched as Gran Torino flipped it open. The audible gasp that left Toshinori's old teacher's lips meant that he had gotten a picture of the right villain.

"Where...did you get that picture?" Gran Torino's gruff, stubborn tone melted away into pure shock and if Toshinori didn't know better, he would've guessed come concern as well. Sadly, he did know better.

"We had gotten it after the run in at Tokyo Station. He had been inside of the train car at the time. The photo was taken from the security footage from the train." Toshinori explained. "He had murdered seven people that night and I'm tired of watching that monster destroy more lives." He took a long breath before giving the real reason he had called Gran Torino. "Sensei, I want to fight against All For One and end the tradition of murder that comes with One For All's history."

Gran Torino's face turned from shocked, to soar. "You think you're strong enough to kill that...that _thing_?" He spat.

"Yes, Sensei." Was Toshinori's only response.

"You're just as stupid as you were in high school, huh? You think you can hold the whole world on your shoulders, that you're invincible."

"That's not-"

"Shut up! You know nothing about All For One, Toshinori! Nana had trained for months! She prepared for so long and even that wasn't enough! What makes you think you're some kind of miracle worker, huh?!"

Toshinori bowed his head, feeling the shame he had been pushing away since he was in UA return with a burning fury. "Sensei...I haven't passed One For All onto a successor yet. I'm still building it, making it stronger and stronger. If I can't beat All For One now, then I may never be able to."

Sasaki decided to interfere before Gran Torino had the opportunity to go off again. "That is a good point to bring up. All Might not only has his full power, but is also taking the liberty to research into the quirks All For One may possess."

Gran Torino looked at Nighteye accusingly, but didn't say anything. He let out a long breath and rubbed at his temples. "Kid, I don't know if I can just let you go into a fight with this monster. The fact that you haven't passed your quirk onto someone else yet is a bit of a surprise and a big risk in this. If you die, so does One For All. We can't get it back after that, but you're right about your powers draining…"

Toshinori stood up straight, a sudden confidence washing over him. "Then I'll get back up. If Sa-Nighteye is with me, then he can predict what All For One will do. So far, he hasn't shown any signs of a time related quirk or anything closely related. We will have a good chance against him."

"But you will still be risking One For All." Gran Torino crossed his arms.

"That may be a risk we'll have to take then. I haven't found anyone that could be a potential successor and taking the time needed to train them would make me significantly weaker." He tried to keep the memories of Nana's last moments out of his mind. He could make her sacrifice mean something. He could save his own successor the horrors of their possible death. He could finally call himself a real Symbol of Peace.

"I want to fight with you then." Both Toshinori and Sasaki stared at the old hero, wondering if they had heard incorrectly. Gran Torino huffed at their surprise and repeated himself. "I said that I want to fight by your side. Out of anyone, I know the most about this demon and will be able to divide his attention from you."

Toshinori couldn't help the smile that spread onto his face. "Thank you, Sensei! It's an honor to work-"

"Yeah, yeah." The annoyed tone was back, but Toshinori didn't mind it so much. "I'll take a copy of this file home and add what little I have. We're taking this demon down together, got it, Brat?"

With a bright, All Might smile and a firm salute, their search for All For One began.

…

Every night was focused on finding more on All For One. Sometimes, Toshinori would stay up until sunrise just to meet another dead end. Most leads they found ended up the same. A gang of Trigger dealers lead to another trafficking case that had gone unsolved, leading to yet another dead end. There were a few more popular cases as well. A forest fire that had killed a camp full of scouts was assumed to be an accident, therefore leaving Toshinori to start from the beginning, once again.

Of course, Gran Torino and Sasaki tried their hardest to find other cases that may have somehow connected, but they were unsuccessful. All three of them worked on the surface more than underground, which led to Toshinori's meeting with Nezu.

"So, you want me to help you find this villain because I lived in the underground before becoming a licensed principal?" Nezu took a sip of his tea, not giving a hint of emotion behind his words.

Toshinori sat in a too small chair, just across from the mouse, bear, dog creature. The glass teacup seemed too small to even hold in his huge hands, but he managed. He hoped that he didn't break anything, though, it was likely an illogical wish. He could already hear the chair creaking. "Well, yes. Even as the Number One Hero, I still have little to no experience with these cases or what happens in the underground."

Nezu seemed to think about this for a while, stirring his tea with his soft, white paws. "You understand that I have plenty of work to do here at UA. I not only have my student and staff to worry for, but I also plan to bring a few new teachers in. How do you suggest I do work for you during such a time?"

"I understand where your priorities are, Nezu. You have every right to refuse my proposal, but I have reason to think that All For One may have been behind the lab experiments they performed on you." He let the silence that followed fill the room.

Nezu set his tea cup down, oh so carefully. Although his expression was neutral, Toshinori could tell the tension was getting to him. Crossing his paws together, Nezu looked up from his cup. "Are you trying to manipulate me or are you genuinely convinced I want to watch all of humanity burn?"

That threw Toshinori off. Hadn't Nezu told him about his deep hatred for humans before? He thought that the chance to get back at someone legally would have appealed to the mouse, but he must've read too deep into the situation. "I apologize. I didn't realize that was offensive to you." He suddenly felt unwelcome in Nezu's office. With a soft sigh, Toshinori stood up, offering the half empty cup of tea back. "I apologize again."

Nezu stopped him before he could walk back toward the door. "Now, now. I never said I was going to disagree. There is a part of me that wishes to see humans burn for what they've done to me, as selfish as it may seem, but it's humans like you that inspire me. You're a good man, All Might. Please, let me help you better this world."

Toshinori froze in place, taken off guard. "But...your school."

"I will still have enough time in my day to work on bettering my school, but how can I let a villain so horrible continue to exist on this earth? Send me a copy of your research and I will see what I can do."

He wanted to jump up in joy, but decided against it, given his tendency to break things when he did that. "Thank you, Nezu, Sir! I promise to make this worth your while!" He gave his brightest smile as he walked out of the door. Nezu waved him off as he left.

As Toshinori walked back through the halls, he couldn't help but feel responsible for every teacher, student and janitor that passed. They had no idea what was happening, that their entire world could change drastically for the better or the worse, depending on how his fight went. Some of them may lose their lives before they get the chance to live in a world without All For One. He himself may not get that chance either. Just because he manages to kill All for One, doesn't mean he may live through the encounter either.

How would the world cope without him? For the past...twenty or so years, he's been the Symbol of peace. How would Endeavor, the Number Two Hero, handle the pressure of filling in his shoes? What would Sasaki do with his agency?

Toshinori was back at his office before he managed to surface from his thoughts. He didn't remember jumping back to his agency or entering the room. The stacks of papers spread across the table reminded him of their numerous dead ends and the large picture of All for One in the middle mocked him. He wanted to burn the image of him out of his mind, but couldn't. He would never escape the horrors of this monster.

With all of the previous joy completely sucked out of him, Toshinori decided to sit down and make another copy for Nezu. He would likely need help uploading it onto his computer, but he could just let Sasaki do that. He let One For All sit on the back burner and debuffed into his slightly smaller form. His long bangs fell into his face and his smooth hair puffed up into a tangled mess. His hero costume fell slightly loose on his shoulders but it wasn't enough to bother him.

Toshinori sat in his office desk chair and went through the papers left over. There were a few kidnappings that had been suspicious enough to record in their findings. Some have still never been found. Most were young adults, but there were a few children there as well. He felt responsible for them too. More lives that he had never been able to save. Even with so much help, he felt so lost. How could they ever find where this monster was if he kept covering his tracks so well?

With a deep sigh, Toshinori laid his head onto the desk. He just needed to rest his eyes for a little while. He had been up since 4:30 this morning and still had three more hours until sunset. He promised himself that he wouldn't sleep yet as his mind started to drift off. He fell asleep soon after, not waking up for another six or so hours.

…

Dave's invitation to visit was immediately accepted. Toshinori had bought a plane ticket to I-Island that night and left for the Tokyo airport the next day. He brought only one bag as luggage since it would be a one day visit, but he had a few things he wanted to bring for Melissa. He changed into his true form while traveling on the plane to avoid any unwanted attention. He wondered if he should just get his own private jet for such a problem, but shoved that to the side for another day.

The security was heavier than he remembered it being, but the island had started to get more and more popular over the years. The more visitors that came, the more security needed, especially for a massive science hub.

Once Toshinori was through the front gate, he grabbed his bag and walked to the back of the island. There were a few newer restaurants that he hadn't seen last time he visited and he made a note to try a few while he was able. There were heroes gathering around a large dome building and Toshinori stopped to investigate. It was a new development to the island that Dave had talked about briefly. It was some kind of hero obstacle course and the high score was currently held by the American, Squarepants. Toshinori smiled to himself. The idea was nice, but he likely wouldn't have time to try it out for himself.

Heading back to his destination, Toshinori noticed a few statues and other such structures that had been added to the island. He had always adored the inventions Dave spoke about through email. The flying machines, the new arcades and games, and even the food choices in each restaurant. It was so drastically different from Tokyo and there was always this sense of adventure that he sometimes missed in his hero work.

"Uncle Might!" Toshinori turned just in time to see Melissa launch herself at him at full speed. He scooped her into his arms, spinning her around and sitting him atop his shoulder. He could barely feel her weight as he walked toward the Shield household.

"You're getting big, Melissa." He smiled up at her. "How old are you again? Three?"

"No, Uncle Might!" She giggled at his teasing. "I'm turning ten today! Did you forget my birthday?" She leaned into his field of vision, wearing a smile that reminded him of Emma. He let out a booming laugh and took her off of his shoulder to enter the small house.

"Of course I haven't! What kind of Uncle would I be if I did?" Melissa bounced up and down in excitement as he closed the front door and set his bag down with a heavy thud. He hoped it didn't scratch the hardwood floor. "Now, tell me what you plan to do today to celebrate."

"Can we make some cupcakes? Dad baked me a cake yesterday but he mixed up the salt and sugar. Don't tell him that I threw it away, though." She whispered that last bit. He fought chills at the thought of Dave's cooking. There was a good reason they mainly relied on the local restaurants for their dinner.

"I promise." he shook pinkies with her before falling her through the house. "Speaking of your dad, where is he?"

"He had a big project to finish this morning so he's still in his lab." She pouted at the end of that.

"Well, that just means that you'll get to spend the morning with me!" He flexed his brought muscles on instinct and she laughed. "Did you get an early birthday present this morning?" He knew that was a bit of a tradition in the Shield family. He hadn't grown up with anything fun like that as a child. Then again, he didn't have many traditions at all that came from his family.

"Yeah! Come look! Come Look!" Toshinori could barely keep up with her as she ran to her bedroom and proceeded to shuffle through a box of toys. Most were made by Dave and were likely too old to really work, but Melissa still kept them. "I got this cool pocket knife thingy!" She held it up just under his nose.

Carefully, Toshinori took the 'safety knife thingy' and found that it was a smaller replica of the one Dave had. It had wrenches of many sizes, pliers, knives and a few different kinds of scissors. Melissa, much like her father, had a knack for inventing things and often stole kitchen appliances to make little trinkets and gadgets. She had a wonderful example of a heroic spirit, given that she was quirkless but continued to strive for nothing but perfect. She was better than Toshinori in many ways.

"That's really cool, Melissa. Just be careful with those knives. They tend to snap out faster than you may think." He handed her safety knife back and she shoved it into her pocket.

"Now let's go make some cupcakes! I wanna finish them before Papa gets home so we can surprise him!" She ran back out of the room and into the kitchen. Toshinori let out a soft chuckle and followed her around the house.

…

Melissa's birthday ended up being tiring but completely worth it. The cupcakes were fairly good and Dave ended up giving her a few extra tools and devices to help her build things. Toshinori had gotten her a pair of All Might brand boots that matched his current costume. She put them on immediately and told both of them how much she would brag to her classmates tomorrow at school.

By 10:00, Melissa was fast asleep in bed. Dave and Toshinori sat on the living room couch, catching up as much as they could. Toshinori told about a few of the funnier missions he had gone on over the past few months and enjoyed the way Dave's voice sounded as he laughed. It was so carefree, like nothing in the world could go wrong.

Toshinori wanted to tell him about All For One and knew it was probably better if he did. He wasn't sure if he would survive the fight and not telling him would break him, wouldn't it? He had already lost Emma and he didn't need to lose Toshinori as well, but no one could control that.

But wouldn't it be selfish to tell him as well? Dave would worry, he knew that already. Ignorance was bliss, especially in a situation like this. Dave would stay happy if he didn't know about the villain that threatened to destroy the entire world for his own selfish goals. Wouldn't he be happier thinking that Toshinori was naturally a hero, with a miracle of a quirk? The truth was always so much more complicated.

"Toshi, are you alright?" Dave placed a gentle hand onto his shoulder.

Toshinori let out a breath and smiled to keep the worries away. He would just trick the fear inside into thinking that nothing was wrong. "I'm fine, Dave. Just tired."

Dave didn't seem convinced, but let it go. Toshinori didn't usually lie to him so plainly. He was a bad friend, wasn't he? "You know…" Dave started. "Melissa adores you so much. Sometimes, I wish you could just stay here, like a second parent. I could really use the help."

"You know I can't do that, Dave. Even if I wasn't the Symbol of Peace and Number One, I have people in Japan that need me." Did he? Without his work as a hero, he wouldn't know anyone he knows now. Would they still stay around him if he wasn't All Might? Would Dave?

"I know, I know, but...I miss you, Toshi. It's always so hard to meet up like this and even when we can, it's only for a day or two. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm enough for Melissa."

Toshinori sat up, placing a hand on his best friend's back. "Dave, she loves you to pieces. She couldn't have a better father than-"

"Toshi." Dave interrupted him. He must have missed the point. "I'm tired of being lonely. I'm tired of sleeping alone and being the only one who's there for her. I can't...I can't remember what it feels like to be loved so genuinely by someone. I know it sounds kinda selfish, but I want to have someone to hold me, Toshi. Someone to kiss me and tell me that everything's going to be okay."

Toshinori didn't say that he understood, because he didn't. He had never felt the kind of love that Dave and Emma had. He had never gone steady with anyone, let alone gotten married. All he could think to do was pull his best friend closer and wrap him in his arms. "I'm sorry, Dave. I really am."

Dave broke out of Toshinori's embrace and walked out of the living room, leaving the hero alone. Had he done something wrong? When Dave didn't come back, Toshinori decided it was his time to leave. He could stay the night at the hotel nearby and leave for his flight in the morning. He would text Dave about this later.

As Toshinori gathered his things and made his way out the door, he made the decision to not speak about All For One until after his fight. If he gets the chance, that is.

Author's Notes: I'm soooo sorry that this took so long to write. I've been reading more than writing and I couldn't quite get the motivation to write. I do appreciate everyone waiting and also reviewing! I love all of you guys so much! It may be a while until my next update as well, but I'll hope it isn't.


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Notes: A warning for gore! Lost of blood and violence, so if you don't like that, then scroll down to the bottom for more notes.

All For One ambushed them during a rescue case.

There had been a massive earthquake near the Southern islands of Japan that required more heavy lifting, so they called their Symbol of Peace. Toshinori had gone with Sasaki in case his Foresight could help them find more victims. There had been only a few collapsed buildings, but the main problem was the docking area. The earthquake had caused a mini tsunami and quite a few ships had come onto land, crushing the warehouses along the shore. It was a mission easily withing Toshinori's strength limits and with the help of a few other heroes, they had successfully returned every ship back into the water or set them up for repairs.

Once finished with the heavy lifting, Toshinori helped clear out the homes that had been destroyed and rescued anyone that might have been inside. In all, there were only a few casualties, but those few people make the bright smile he always wore a bit harder to keep on. He knew that people died often, had seen many examples of that; but it still hurt, knowing that someone may never see their loved one gain. How do you tell someone's family that their child, parent or grandparent will never go to their New Years parties or to the yearly family reunion. How do you tell someone's spouse or friend that they have to somehow find a way to live without their presence anymore.

These thoughts likely stemmed from the popular topic of death in Toshinori's life as of recent. With every sorrowful question about these unnamed casualties, he didn't dare to ask them about himself. He didn't wonder how Dave and Melissa would react to his potential death. He didn't dare think about the responsibility he would shove onto his poor sidekick, onto the other heroes of the world. Onto the Number Two hero, Endeavor. To Toshinori, it didn't matter, because he was just as important as all of these numbered casualties. True, he was Japan's beloved Symbol of Peace and Number One hero, but that didn't mean that these people deserved to be grieved over. Everyone's life, no matter how insignificant it may seem, holds value.

A soft tap on Toshinori's shoulder pulled him from his thoughts. Had be been starring at nothing this whole time? He met Sasaki's gaze and they shared a mutual understanding. Hero work was never as easy as it seemed and in all of the wrong ways. "I suggest we return to Might Tower before Tokyo misses you too badly." Although he said it in a neutral tone, Toshinori could tell that Sasaki was trying to lighten the mood with a joke. It made the taller hero laugh, even if it wasn't really funny.

"Ah, of course, Nighteye!" With a wave to the police officers on the case and the paramedics taking care of the survivors, Toshinori walked away from the area with his sidekick just behind him.

That was when All For One attacked. They barely made it two steps away before explosion after explosion sounded off. Fire sprouted from the far sides of the coast. Toshinori didn't think before leaping toward the damage, leaving Sasaki behind him. He landed a bit harder than he had anticipated but shook the pins and needles from his legs. Another explosion went off just to his left and the world lit up in a bright orange flame. He couldn't hear past the ringing in his ears and everything became too hot. The water that had been on his suit felt like it was boiling every inch of skin it touched. He felt his quirk almost lurch, begging to be used. That's when he saw it.

A figure walked toward in through the thick smoke. Toshinori felt his heart beat faster and faster with the realization of who that was. All For One dressed as if he was ready for a dinner party and the fire reflected against this white hair, making it just as bright as the flames themselves. A bright smile was spread on his face and Toshinori yelled out into the air. He wasn't ready for this fight, not yet. he needed a day or two, to apologize to Dave and to live; but evil waited for no one. If he didn't fight now, then more people would die and Nana's sacrifice would go in vain.

"So you remember me, do you?" All For One stopped just within the ring of fire surrounding the two of them, locking the rest of the world away. "I have to say, All Might, I'm surprised. Most people don't survive an encounter with me, but you got lucky."

Dread built in Toshinori's gut but he kept his ground. Ever muscle in his body wanted to shake in fear, but he refused to show weakness to his own enemy. He won't die. "I will end the pain and suffering you cause to the innocent people of this world." His smile stayed cemented onto his lips as if it were the only thing keeping him together.

All For One laughed and his arms began to grow. The villain spouted off quirks that he had stolen as he become more and more powerful. Every one of those quirks burned Toshinori's ears. Every single one of them were taken from an innocent person. How many people had died just to satisfy this monster's greed?

Toshinori threw the first punch but All For One caught it easily. The hero could barely release a gasp of surprise before he was thrown to the side like a rag doll. He hit a building hard and smashed it into dust, but he didn't stay down. Almost immediately, Toshinori jumped back toward the villain, throwing another punch. This time, the villain was the one to fly away, but it was no victory. Just like the hero had done, All For One came back with an attack of his own.

With every punch Toshinori dealt, All For One returned with just as much power. After years and years of being the Number One hero, it felt almost impossible to be fighting a villain so strong. He could blow away an entire gang of villains away without landing his fist on any of them, yet All For One stayed standing through every smash.

Slowly, they started to bleed, then bruise. A nose broken here, an arm there. Blood began to paint the crumbled and scarred ground below them as they fought against each other with fury. Toshinori's hero costume began to peel away, leaving scarred and bleeding skin beneath. All For One's elegant suit was ripped and dirtied by the mixture of both of their blood.

Right when Toshinori thought he had released his final punch, landing it square on the villain's jaw and knocking him to the ground, more and more quirks began to appears. Some tore away flesh, others caused fires and leveled the buildings around them. The other heroes and police officers got caught in the battle while trying to help and died my flying pieces of rock and spikes growing along All For One's arms. Toshinori tried to save them, but he had been beaten into the ground before he had the chance. It was torture, watching all of those lives pass so easily in front of him. They were just trying to protect those who couldn't protect themselves and died for it. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair.

A yellow flash of light zipped through the air and suddenly, Toshinori was free. He could move, breathe, again. With a choke and a gasp, the hero returned to his aching feet and whipped the blood from his eyes. Gran Torino stood beside him with a face twisted in anger and fear. "You look horrible, kid." The old man commented. Toshinori could only nod before a bolder came flying their way. He broke it apart easily, but another slammed into his back, making him fall to the ground again. Gran Torino came back into view, shouting at him to get up, but he was so tired.

An enlargened fist landed on Gran Torino, sending the old hero flying and crashing into an nearby ship. Toshinori gasped and clawed at the ground in a desperate attempt to get back up. The villain panted as he walked back toward him, that smug smile now dirtied with blood. "Look at you. If I hadn't miscalculated, that old man would've been dead by now. How weak of a successor." The villain knelt down and pulled at one of Toshinori's long bangs, forcing his bead up. "Here I thought that you holders were supposed to be stronger with each generation, but I guess that your master failed. What was her name again? Ah, yes. Nana Shimura. She wasn't a very significant one. She died so easily, it was barely a challenge."

Toshinori felt his teeth grind together and his fists gathered chuncks of dirt as he struggled to much himself up. A flame of rage roared in his chest and his permanent smile twisted into a grimace. "Don't...don't you dare speak of her like that!" Toshinori coughed and shook as he tried to push himself off of the ground. The villain's smirk only grew.

"Is that a sore spot for you, All Might? If I didn't know better, I would think that you cared for her, might have loved her even. Was it because she shoved her birth child away so easily? Did that make you feel special?" The villain spat, a cruel cackle leaving his red lips. "You truly are pathetic."

"Don't you dare-"

All For One took hold of the hero's jaw and squeezed. Toshinori could feel the bone crack and fracture under those fingers. "Don't I dare what? You don't seem to be in much of a position to tell me what to do." The villain spat again, a disgusting glob of blood and mucus landing on the hero's cheek.

Toshinori felt his fists fly forward, sending the monster backward. He tossed the bolder asides in a blind rage and stomped toward the villain. "How dare you?!" His jaw protested every word, but he pressed forward. "You murdered an inspiration in cold blood purely because you could! People like you don't deserve to live!" Toshinori took hold of All For One's skull and slammed it into the hard ground over and over again. Blood began to seep between his fingers and onto the ground, but he didn't care anymore. If he went to jail for murder, then so be it. He would see to it that this monster didn't get the chance to take another breath.

Toshinori had seen many quirks at use that night, but a drill hadn't been one he expected, especially as it cut a hole into his abdomen. In that moment, everything stopped except for the drill. It continued to tear through him until there was nothing left but a hole. The drill retracted, bringing everything that had been inside, out. Toshinori felt warm liquid flow from his mouth and saw it drip onto the villain's battered face. He felt and heard nothing in that moment. Then, everything hit at once.

The pain came all at once. Toshinori's fractured jaw stretched wide in a scream that he couldn't hear. His throat was suddenly filled with warmth again and it painted everything in sight red. The hole that occupied his entire left side felt like nothing he had ever experienced before. It was worse then any punch or cut he had received before. He couldn't breath and coughed on more blood. Slowly, he look down and almost couldn't believe the mess surrounding his side. The villain below him was almost completely still but Toshinori could still see his chest rise and fall slowly.

"I...I won." All For One whispered, bloodied teeth showing between Toshinori's fingers. A tan, shaky hand scooped organs off of the floor and held them to the hero's side. He could barely feel anything through his hand, but it didn't matter. As if on autopilot, his opposite hand pushed down on the villains head until it caved.

The fight was over and all Toshinori could do was stare at the mess around him. He would die tonight, he knew. There was no way he was going to survive something like that, but somehow, it was alright. In that moment, all he cared about was the dead villain below him. He had done exactly what he intended to do. That's all that mattered. That...that's all that mattered.

Author's Notes: This is a shorter chapter, but I'm guessing that it's heavy enough to stand alone. If you didn't read the chapter, just know that this was the fight against All For One and All Might. You may continue to the next chapter when it comes out. 


	14. Chapter 14

Toshinori heard the beeping of a heart monitor. He couldn't feel anything and wondered if he was floating above the clouds, but the last time he checked, there weren't' heart monitors in the sky. When he tried to open his eyes, he was blinded by a bright light and let out a choked groan. A hand reached out to him, running along his cheek and pulling his head gently to the right. Or was it the left? He couldn't quite tell.

"He's awake!" Someone shouted from the direction the hand came from and he winced from the headache it caused.

"That's just like him, waking up ten minutes before his surgery." A gruff voice called out, just in front of him. It sounded so familiar, but he couldn't quite...

"All Might, can you look at me?" The first voice asked, pulling his head a bit further.

He tried to open his eyes again and failed once the light came flooding back, making his headache worse, but he couldn't give up there. He tried again and again until the lights were tolerable enough to keep them open. He saw Sasaki's face just a few feet away through the dark spots that danced across his vision. He tried to speak, but something in his throat refused to make words. Instead, he released another choked groan.

"Shh. You can't speak right now." Sasaki's hand continued to rub patterns into his cheek and it helped to sooth the pounding from his skull. "You fought against All For One and survived. Now, we just have to make sure you stay that way."

All at once, the fight came flooding back. He had fought against his master's murderer. He could remember the broken bones, the bruises and the drill. Hadn't he died? Toshinori doubted a wound like the one he'd gotten could be mended. But he was, there was no doubt about it. Had it been luck, or had someone decided to spare him? He may never know, but he was thankful for his life. Now, he could see the world grow without All For One's corruption. He could see a new era made from peace and hope.

"All Might, this will be your last surgery for now. You'll likely need more, considering the damage done but we can worry about that later." Sasaki retracted his hand from where it had been and a light blush dusted the man's cheeks. The spot where his sidekick's hand had been felt cold. "I...we should talk, after your operation. There's something I've found out and...it's important."

Toshinori didn't like the sober expression Sasaki gave him. What had happened while he was asleep that was so important? Was this about All For One? Had he failed in killing that monster of a villain? Before he could spiral too far, Sasaki stood up and a few doctors began checking the machines around him and asking him questions that he couldn't answer. Eventually, Sasaki and Gran Torino -when had he been there? And why was his head patched up?- were escorted out of the room and a nurse injected something into his arm. It only took a moment for sleep to take consciousness form him.

...

When Toshinori woke up again, four sets of eyes were all trained on him. The mountain of tubes that had been attached to his chest were gone now, replaced by bloodied bandages. He was sitting up in the hospital bed, supported by pillows. A cough rose into his throat, but he ignored it. If he had just gotten surgery, then he wouldn't be-

"Well, good morning, ." A short, elderly woman greeted him, a syringe styled cane in her hand. She looked familiar, but his drugged him couldn't quite place where he'd seen her. "Oh, what's this? You don't remember me?" She gave him a soft smile and checked through a clipboard in her hand. "Well, I guess it has been quite a while since you were in the nurse's office."

Like a light bulb going off, Toshinori remembered seeing her every time he had gotten hurt at UA. "Reco-" He was interrupted by a harsh cough, blood flooding out of his mouth and onto the light blue blankets. Everyone in the room took a step back and stared at him with a mixture of horror and concern.

"Oh my! Let me get you cleaned up." Recovery Girl waddled to a white cabinet and fished through it to find a clean rag. She returned and whipped a worrying amount of blood from his chin. "We managed to patch up the hole in your lung, but it seems like some of the blood still creeps in. I'll see what I can do about that, but it may end up being a part of your life from now on." Coughing up blood could become normal for him? He couldn't understand it. Typically, coughing blood meant that you were bleeding internally, right? A small hand rested on his hand and Recovery Girl gave him a sad smile. "I understand that you may be confused, but until you're stable, we really can't say much about your condition. It's just too complicated."

Toshinori nodded slowly and raised his hand to his throat. How long had it been since he went under? An hour? Maybe more? He cleared his throat and tried not to gag on the strong coppery taste on his tongue. "Ho-how long..." His throat scratched uncomfortably, making him cough again. More blood came up, but it was considerably less than last time.

Recovery Girl handed him the rag to whip it with and search the room for something else. "You've been asleep for a few days now. I used my quirk to keep some of the stitches in place, which took almost all of your energy." She grabbed a pair of crutches from the closet and set them beside his bed. "But now that you're up and as well as you can be, I want to start on your physical therapy. You'll still need to walk, even if you're retiring."

A spike of dread hit Toshinori right in the chest. He wasn't retiring. That much he knew. "Sa-Sasaki?" He choked out, staring at his sidekick. Sasaki wouldn't force him into retirement, right? No. Sasaki knew how important he was to society as their symbol. He knew that even an injury like this couldn't be the end of All Might. When his sidekick didn't say anything, he started to wonder. Something about the way the green haired man looked at him, as if Recovery Girl hadn't just misspoken, made him scared. He wasn't retiring. He couldn't.

"We can speak about this at another time." Was Sasaki's only response.

A soft paw touched Toshinori's left hand, grabbing his attention. Nezu gave him a soft smile and it felt genuine, not like the calculated smile he typically wore. "I think we should also talk about what you plan to do with your quirk, now that All For One is gone from this world."

His quirk? But, if he was going to continue to be a hero, then there was no point in passing it on, was there? The quirk's full purpose was to defeat All For One, which is exactly what he did. What else would someone need it for? Would it be selfish for him to refuse to pass it on, though? It wasn't his quirk, not originally. He wasn't the one who started this tradition and would he disgrace the former holders by stopping the line here? Toshinori's gaze moved from Nezu's, landing on the bloodied rag in his hand.

"Now, now." Recovery Girl interrupted. "I'm sure Yagi is very tired and bringing up heavy topics may not be the best choice right now. Once he manages to get on his feet again, we can see if he's up to it." She gave Sasaki a hard look. Gran Torino, who had been sitting in the back for all of this time, walked to the door of the room and left without another word. The entire left side of his face was covered in bandages and Toshinori remembered him hitting the ship during the battle. It was a lucky thing that the old man wasn't dead.

Nezu left after him, that smile falling from his face the moment he was out of view. It took more prompting from Recovery Girl, but eventually, Sasaki left as well. Toshinori was still confused and he couldn't help but dread the talk they were going to have, but for now, he had to focus on recovery. He wasn't sure how long he'd been out of the field, but he knew that people would begin to get suspicious. The people of Japan needed their Symbol.

"Now..." Recovery Girl started, tapping his legs lightly with her cane. "I'll need to get you out of this hospital bed. I've assigned myself as your personal doctor for as long as you need me, which may end up being the rest of your life. You can't bounce back very well after losing a stomach." The way she said it so casually made Toshinori wonder if she was still sane. Then her words started to sink in.

"I lo-lost my stomach?" He could feel the blood rush up his throat, but he swallowed it back down with a bit of nausea. How could that be possible? The stomach was a vital organ and losing it would likely kill him, right? Then how was he still alive?

"I know, I know. You're probably scared and I don't blame you, but it is possible. You can live a mostly normal life without your stomach or even a replacement. Your meals will just be...restricted. A lot." Recovery Girl pulled a paper from her clip board and handed it to him. It was a list of meal requirements and rules. There were so many that Toshinori didn't get half way through before she started speaking again. "You'll have plenty of practice eating with your new diet here in the hospital. We're not going to leave you without help."

"What...what about my lungs?" He could feel them stutter every time he breathed. It was like trying to suck in air through a straw and left him uneasy with every breath he took. How could he fight villains if he couldn't breathe?

"We've done all we could to salvage them both, but your left lung is severely damaged and may need to be removed eventually, but not for now." She walked back around to the door and gave him that same pitiful smile he'd seen on so many faces already. He knew he would learn to hate it. "I'm sorry this happened to you. No one deserves to get half of their organs rearranged, especially not you." She waited for him to respond and when he didn't, she left; closing the door behind her.

Toshinori wasn't sure what kind of hierarchy everyone else held, but the work he did as a hero didn't make him any less deserving of this torture than anyone else. It felt like a backhanded compliment. Gently, Toshinori touched the bandages on his side. He couldn't feel anything underneath, but that was likely because of the drugs. He wondered how they managed to patch it up. From what he saw during his battle, everything that had been there was completely gone, including the skin. Maybe, They took skin from somewhere else? He wasn't sure, but there were likely things he just didn't know yet. Like Recovery Girl said, it was complicated.

Toshinori didn't realize he was falling asleep until he was already gone. His dreams replayed the fight in his mind like a broken record, only highlighting the worst parts, but in his dreams, he didn't win.

...

Sasaki, Nezu and Gran Torino all returned to the hospital three days later after Toshinori's physical therapy session. He had managed to get onto his feet and stay there, but his left side pulled if he stood up straight. It was frustrating, having to rely on someone's machines to carry his still heavily muscled body from one place to another. On the first day of his therapy, he had started to regain feeling into his lower body since he was no longer laying in bed all day, but his steps were small and wobbly. He still had troubled actually walking, but standing was a good start. At least, that's what Recovery Girl said.

"We need to talk about your future as the Symbol of Peace." Sasaki started. They had gathered around the table Toshinori was sitting on, his physical therapist having left the room to give them more privacy. Recovery Girl stayed, however.

"What about it?" He looked Sasaki in the eyes and didn't like what he saw. His sidekick was hiding something from him, something he knew he wouldn't like. What had happened while he was shut away from the world?

"All Might, due to your injury, I think it would be wisest to pass One For All onto a proper successor. Your hero work is going to be more difficult, now that you are no longer healthy. If you do...manage to pass at some point..." Sasaki took a deep breath and gathered himself again. "I want to make sure that at least your legacy will continue."

Toshinori paused a moment, thinking it through. Sasaki had a point. Passing his quirk would allow someone else the opportunity to fulfill their own dreams, just like how One For All had helped him fulfill his. It would be selfish of him to keep the quirk to himself, but he just didn't know anyone who would take it. "I agree." Toshinori answered after a while. "But my only concern is who I may give it to. I don't want to just pass it onto the next person I see. I want this to be right, to _feel_ right."

"I may be able to help you in that." Nezu interjected, a proud smile forming on his face. "At UA, we have many capable and honorable heroes in training. You could meet any number of them and train them as your successor. Of course, that may require a change in career, but since you're already retiring-"

"I'm what?" Toshinori looked from Nezu to Sasaki, who hardened his face into a stern frown. "Who said I was retiring?"

"I did." Sasaki crosses his arms over his chest, taking a defensive stance. This can't be good.

Toshinori looked away from his sidekick and make his way onto his feet. His physical therapist at told him to try and walk back to his hospital room, which had seemed like a good challenge back then, but now that he was having this conversation, it felt less inviting. "And what makes you think I-I plan on retiring?" He challenged back. His legs wobbled and he nearly fell over, but when Sasaki tried to help him up, he refused the offer of help. He could do this alone.

"All Might, look at you. You can barely walk by yourself. Just imagine how hard it would be to fight villains, who intend to end you, fight I add." The raise in Sasaki's tone was bordering mocking and it did nothing to help the stubbornness riding in Toshinori's chest. His sidekick followed him as he made his way out of the room, clinging to the walls. "You can't possibly think that you could keep up your hero persona like this! You're hair's a mess and you can't even keep a smile on your face!" Toshinori continued to walk down the hall, not giving Sasaki an answer. "All Might, listen to me!"

He felt tired, so tired. Toshinori wanted nothing more than to curl in his bed -his bed at home, not the stiff mattress they had at the hospital- and forget any of this happened, but he couldn't. "S-Sasaki, the world needs a Symbol. Without me, they'll fall back into chaos." He didn't want to live in the world he grew up in when he knew he could do something to stop it.

"I saw it, All Might!" Everyone stopped, even Toshinori. "I saw you die! It was...it was gruesome and...just, please trust me in this. There's a way to save you and the society you've built." A footstep echoed through the long hall. "All Might, there's another way. Please, retire now and all will be fine."

"I can't." Toshinori didn't hesitate. He knew what Sasaki did, despite the promise they made so long ago. His sidekick had betrayed his trust and looked into his future. It hurt and deep down, Toshinori knew that this was all just because his sidekick was a fan. If it were anyone else, he would've have thrown their promise aside for the good of 'them all'. That seemed to make it worse, though. Knowing that despite the love and support Sasaki had given him through all of these years, he willingly took back his promise and continued to use what he'd seen against him. "I can't see Japan fall while I do nothing. You don't really know that everything will be f-fine." He coughed into his elbow and almost lost his balance.

"But I do! Society will struggle for a while, but the end result will be infinitely better! Please! Why can't you just trust me?!" Sasaki's voice echoed through the halls and when Toshinori looked back at him, he saw Gran Torino, Nezu and Recovery Girl by his side. Did they all decide to side with Sasaki? When he tried to make eye contact with Gran Torino, the old man looked away.

Toshinori grit his teeth together and pressed forward. "But people will suffer without me. I can't fail them now. I...can't." He made it half way down the hall before falling to his knees. A coughing fit raked his body and everything began to hurt. His left side flared like an angry fire, re awoke with every breath he took. He felt a pair of hands touch his back, but he shoved them away, dripping blood onto the tile floors. "Please..." He gasped between coughs. "Don't make this wo-worse."

Sasaki paused, but nodded slowly. "I'll drop it for now. I'm sorry for yelling."

Although they managed to reach Toshinori's hospital bed together, they could never be so far apart.

Author's Notes: Man. It took a while for me to figure out how I wanted this chapter to go, but I think I got it. I hope that I can finish this story soon, although it's been fun to write and see everyone's reactions.


	15. Chapter 15

Toshinori noticed himself changing slowly. At first, it was his diet, which wasn't a slow of a change. He couldn't eat most solid foods and needed to eat a small meal every few hours to keep up a normal weight. The soups given to him at the hospital were closer to flavored water than anything, but he prefered it over a feeding tube any day. Once he was released from the hospital a month after his fight with All For One, he was watched closely by Sasaki and Recovery Girl, his personal nurse. If he had so much as an itch on his back, it got reported to Recovery Girl immedietly.

The second -and more gradual- change was the relationship Toshinori had with his sidekick. After their first argument over the future of All Might, Sasaki had been continuously dropping the topic in almost anything they did. When he was brushing out the rat nest that is Toshinori's hair or while rolling him around in a wheel chair. Sasaki asked him to retire almost every night and eventually, Toshinori's patience and tolerance grew thinner and thinner until he snapped.

"I don't care what kind of future you say, Saskaki! I'm not giving up hero work!" Toshinori snapped, the beating of his heart seemed to fill the entire room.

"If you would just let me get this through your stupidly thick skull, then maybe you would understand that this isn't just about you! It's about all of Japan!" The green and yellow haired hero was beginning to go pink in the face. He always seemed to stoic before.

Toshinori knew that any arguement he made would just get shot down. He should've known better than to hire a fan as his sidekick. Anyone else would've stopped by now. Even Gran Torino had stopped trying to agrue with him, but thena gain, he hadn't spoken to the old hero since the first time this was brought up.

"All Might, I can't watch you do this to yourself over and over again!"

"Then leave." Toshinori whispered it almost to himself.

Sasaki paused. He was either caught off guiard or hadn't heard it. "What did you say?" He hadn't heard, then. Sasaki looked and soudned irritated.

"Then leave!" Toshinori met those vibrant yellow eyes and didn't dare look away. "If you don't like this, then quit! Start your own agency! I don't care- just leave me alone!" The room was silent for an agonycing moment. As if in slow motion, the angry expression melted into pure shock. It was the most expressive he's ever seen Sasaki, but it felt Toshinori just a little satisfied. He had listened this time. That was a first.

"All Might..." Sasaki tried to reach out, to touch him, but Toshiori pushed his hand away. "You can't be serious."

"Get out of my room, Sasaki."

"All Mi-"

"Get out!" Toshinori watched his sidekick recoil as if he had been slapped and slowly walked out of the room, that hurt expression never leaving. Once the door shut behind him, the tension in the air began to evaporate, leaving a heavy sorrow behind. They had been such good friends, despite how different they were. There were many nights when the two of them went out to eat a late dinner and simply talked. It had been some of the most enjoyable moments of their partnership, but this was inevitable, wasn't it? Sasaki was a fan. He was looking through a tunnel that only saw All Might, not Toshinori Yagi. Had Sasaki ever seen him as more than just an idol?

Toshinori didn't sleep well that night and he didn't see Sasaki against the next morning either.

...

**T:** Hello, Dave! I understand that you felt bad last time we talked and I'd like to apologize for anything I might have done or said. You were sharing very personal information and I might not have reacted the way you needed. I care about you dearly and wish to speak to you once again!

**D:** its been a while Toshi. Dont worry about what you did back then btw. I was just being emotional. Im sorry too and I wanna talk again. Its been kina lonely without you around. Melissa keeps asking me where you are and I dont really have an answer for her

**T:** I'm sorry for making the two of you worry. I do have something to talk to you about, though. And a favor to ask, if that's alright.

**D:** sure, yeah. What do you want big guy?

**T:** I'll need a new hero costume. I've worn my silver age costume for a while now and I'm thinking it's about time for a new era, don't you think?

**D:** a new costume? Sure! I can show you a few of my other designs later today if you want. I like the sound of all mights golden age.

**T:** Thank you so much, Dave. I really appriciate it. I'd also like to speak about the reason for my absense, if you will. I have to warn you, though. It may not be as exciting at a new era.

**D:** toshi what do you mean? Did something bad happen?

**T:** I'm injured, Dave. Servierly. I may not be able to work as a hero for as long as I had hoped.

**D:** what are you saying toshi?! Are you okay?! Do I have to book a flight out there?!

**T:** I'm alright, Dave. I'm recovering slowly. It's very complicated to talk about over text. I can call you in a few mintues and I promise to tell you everything I know about this.

**D:** alright toshi. Ill be waiting

...

The weight loss was a slow process. By the time he no longer needed Recovery Girl in his house every day, he was almost half of his original weight and it only got worse as he started hero work again.

It was easy to make an excuse for his absence and most of the media only cared that he had returned at all. He had been away at another country for a private investigation. He hadn't specified which country or any details about the mission, but he did assure them that a great evil had fallen while he was away, which wasn't really a lie at all.

When Toshinori saw how high the villain rates had spiked in the two months he was gone, he knew that retirment would never be an option for him. He would likely die in his work as a hero, but it was a small price to pay, wasn't it? For the continued safety and protection of Japan, he would sacrofice himself endlessly.

Toshinori continued to lose weight with every meal he skipped and eventually, he no longer recogniced his reflection as his own. The person he stared ever time he passed a mirror in his true form was haunting to see, even just for a split second. His shinny, golden hair was now matted and twisted beyond repair. His long bangs hung in front of his gaunt face uselessly. His eyes had turned black some time during his endless surgeries, making the blue irises almost glow. His skin lost it's light and healthy tan and his cheeks sunk into the edges of his skull.

His body was disurbing to see and he'd made children cry more than once. Even other adults would make crude comments as they sat on the train or in passing at a super market. He couldn't blame them, not really. From the way his thin fingers curved like spider legs to his gangly legs. He was still much too tall to be normal, but without the muscle and broan he used to have, he just looked like a monster from a horror movie.

The worst part of him was the scar that twisted at his left side. Most times, he couldn't feel it. It was a numb patch of skin, nerve endings so damaged, that he could only feel it through the tips of his thin fingers. It left like getting your mouth numbed at the dentist, but this would never go away over time. Most days, he was in continous pain. Either his weak joints would ache or his throat would go soar from the amount of blood he coughed up. Slowly, he had gotten used to waking up still tired and in pain, but he couldn't stop. The world still depended on him.

That was, until he had his first Bad Day.

Toshinori woke up to a roaring fire building through his left side. He grit his teeth together from the pain and gasped out from every move he made. He needed medication. Pain killers more specifically, but they were in his bathroom. He'd have to get up and walk there. What if this was something different, though? What if soemthing tore from his surgeries? He could've hurt something during his fight yesturday and wouldn't know it until now, right?

Slowly, Toshinori lifted his baggy shirt and sighed as the cold air hit his burning skin. He could feel the sweat begin to build on his palms and forehead. He looked down, watching for any bleeding and gasped at what he saw. Almost his entire abdemen was an angry red with spots of purple and blue. When he tried to touch it, the pain increased and he nearly shouted in agony. This was bad. There was no way he could walk like this.

It was a miracle when Toshinori heard his phone virbrate on his nightstand. He didn't have many contacts ever since he'd deleted Sasaki's off of his phone, and most of them wouldn't call at a time like this. He gasped again when he moved to pick up the phone and didn't care to hide the pain from his voice as he answered. "Ch-Chiyo..." Toshinori whimpered into the phone.

"Toshinori? Are you alright?" She sounded rightfully concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I...I don't kn-know." He panted. The pain was beginning to spread to his one lung, making it difficult to breathe properly. "It hurts." He gapsed again, pain flairing every time he tensed. It was like a cycle of torture.

"I'm coming over, alright? Don't move from where you are until I get there. I'll bring everything I can. Just hold on for me." She spoke comforting words as she shuffled around on the other side of the phone. At some points, her voice was further away but it always came back. She never hung up until she was just outside of Might Tower. Toshinori had given her a special card that allowed her access into any room in his agency, including his bedroom.

Toshinori was nearly soaking in sweat by the time she opened his door. She ran to his side as fast as she could -which wasn't very fast- and hissed at the exposed skin on his chest. She opened a kit next to her and dug through it until she managed to pull out an ice pack.

"I'm going to put this on the irritated skin for now, alright? It should help the pain numb over until we can get some pain killers going." She spoke as she hovered the ice pack close to his side. Almost instinctively, Toshinori's hands shot out to stop her. He knew it could help, but it would hurt just from applying pressure. Recovery Girl batted his hands away and tried again. "Don't fight me, Toshinori. This is going to help you." She explained patiently.

The moment the ice pack hit his scar, he felt it flair again, but it didn't stop. The pressure stayed consistant as it laid on his side and Toshinori fisted his hands into the sheets under him. He grit his teeth together and took sharp breathes through his teeth to try and sooth the pain. Recovery Girl left his side and he wondered if she would kill him. He had been a frustrating student while at UA and just as frustrating of a patient, but would she kill him? It felt like it.

The world seemed to spin around him. The pain became all he could feel and he just wanted it to stop. His jaw ached from tensing for so long, but he couldn't release it. spots danced around his vision and suddenly, the pain was washed away. Ice cold washed over him like water and he was out like a light.

...

Toshinori woke up numb. He knew where he was, still in his bedroom. He hadn't expected to end up somewhere else, but then again, he hadn't really been concious enough to expect anything.

"I'm glad you're awake." Recovery Girl was sitting next to his bed. The chair was much too large for him, but that wasn't unusual for her. "You passed out a few hours ago but you'll be fine. I managed to get some stronger pain killers for you, but I couldn't find anything unusual about your condisiton. Well, more than normal."

When Toshinori tried to speak, nothing came out. His throat was impossibly dry and his tongue was like a ball of paper in his mouth. He looked at his desk and tried to reach for the cup of water sitting there, but Recovery Girl beat him to it. She tilted his head up gently and let the water flow in. It felt amazing, getting some kind of moisure into his mouth. Recovery Girl set the glass back down once it as emtpy and looked at him with a sorrowful gaze.

"I don't have many patients with your condistion, but I'm thinking that this may end up being a reoccuring thing, this pain. There's nothing I can do to help with it but give you pain killers and an ice pack. If this happens again, you can tell me, but just know that I won't really be able to help you." She jumped off of the chair and gathered up her supplies. "I have already told your agency that you'll be unable to work today, so just take the day easy. If it continues until tomorrow, then I'll have to figure something out, but until then, good luck." The old hero gave him one last smile before making her way out of his room.

So, this was going to be normal for him? His body was failing on him slowly, but he already knew that, didn't he? This is nothing new. He could live through this. Japan still needed their Symbol after all. This wasn't admiting defeat. It was just...taking a bit of time to adjust. He could get up tomorrow and work extra hard.

...

The four or so years Toshinori spent living a double life all mixed together in a general combination of smiles and blood. He had gotten used to having Bad Days ever eight months or so. Most weren't as bad as the first one, but they weren't plesent either. Just like Recovery Girl said, there was nothing to do much to try and ease the pain and ride it out. Thankfully, it only lasted a day or so, but he always woke up extra soar the next day. It was just a part of him now.

As Toshinori began to work as his own secritary, he started to realize that a lot of his paper work couldn't get shoved away anymore. He no longer had Sasaki to take care of the growing stacks, so he ended up doing them himself. That meant that he spent all of his time at Toshinori Yagi in his office. He could only spend so many hours as All Might anyway, a side effect from his injury that no one had expected, but it all worked out.

That is, until Toshinori started to get pulled into meetings just as often as All Might was pulled into fights. Sometimes, meetings or discussions would get cut off by an alert on his phone from an attack not far away. He would apologize and run out of the room, changing into his bigger form once he got the privacy. It made people confused and suspicious, but no one could get close to the truth. Toshinori was used to living a life that seemed almost like a fantasy, but it seemed to get more and more ridiculous the more he grew. Who would guess that the frail, quirkless, and sick secritary was actually All Might, their Symbol of Peace. No one.

That's why, when Toshinori met up with Detective Tsukauchi at the Might Tower Cafe, he didn't really care to make up excuses for why he had to leave ever three mintues. There was a villain attack there, a kitten stuck in a tree there and they all needed All Might to help. The detective understood, of course. He was a very polite and kind man, even offered to pay for their drinks.

"As I was saying before-"

Toshinori interrupted the kind officer once again. "I really do apologize, but I have to make a quick trip to the bathroom." The sheepish smile he gave the detective didn't seem to do much anymore.

"Again? Didn't you just go?"

"Did I?" Toshinori sat up straight. He could practically hear the kitten screaming from a tree. He had to get there soon, or something might happen to the poor thing.

"Yes, you did. Hey, if you don't really want to talk about this now, I can reschedule this for another ti-"

"No!" The blonde waved his hands in the air. This was something All Might definetly needed to be a part of, but villainly didn't rest long enough for the detective to give him the details.

"It's really okay-"

"I have to go. Please don't leave, okay? I promise, I want to speak to you about this. Just...after." Toshinori didn't stay long enough to hear Tsukauchi's response. He sprinted to the nearest bathroom -maybe he had used the bathroom excuse before- and exited out the window. Then, he left his white shirt and slack at the side of the building and changed into his All Might form. With a smile already on his face, Toshinori jumped into the air and landed next to the tree, a caramel colored kitten clawing at the top branches. "Have no fear, little one! For I am here!" He shouted, louder than needed, and took the tree by the trunk, bending it down toward the ground. The wood groaned from the sudden stress, but he was careful not to snap it. The cat didn't move an inch from the branch, so Toshinori grabbed it by the middle and pulled it into his arms.

It took less than a mintue to get back into the bathroom, shirt buttoned up and pants on. Toshinori walked back into the cafe, panting but glad to have wasted so little of the detective's time. As he came back and sat down, he apololigzed for the wait and went back to his now cold tea.

"You were saying something about-"

Tsukauchi interepted him, shock written all over his face. "What's...under your shirt?"

Toshinori felt his cheeks burn bright red and blood rushed up his throat. Only a little spilled onto his side of the table and the rest ended up on a napkin. The kitten made a soft sound in his arms and then Toshinori realized what Tsukauchi was talking about. His hero costume was still visible underneath and he paniced. "A-Ah! I'm just a big fa-"

"Are you...All Might?" Both men stared at each other for far too long and Toshinori crumbled.

"Be quiet about it, okay?" He hissed out, looking around the cafe for any evesdroppers. Thankfully, there weren't many people around to listen. "Yes, but no one really knows except for a few people. I can...I can tell you more about it later." Toshinori mentally kicked himself for being so careless. He hadn't even bothered to tuck his sleeves into his shirt. The tie was barely on at all and he'd come back with a kitten in his hands. People didn't typically go to the bathroom and return with a kitten.

"Alright..." Tsukauchi still seemed beyond surprised about the revelation. "Well, I promise to keep this between us. It's my nature to tell the truth." He smirked as if he'd made some kind of pun.

Toshinori decided to ignore whatever joke the man had tried to make and thanked him for the promise. Maybe, having a friend in the police station will do him some good. If he's lucky, he can get more efficient work done with Detective Tsukauchi's help. This can work out. Toshinori felt a smile pull on his face as he finished buttoning up his shirt and laid the kitten onto his lap.

Author's Notes: This one has a lot of stuff in it, but it should be better next chapter. I wasn't quite sure how to shove so many years of just plain old hero work together into one chapter. Next chapter will be the last, probable. It'll also be the main chapter I've been wanting to write this entire time. Also, I hope that the texting part isn't too hard to read.


	16. Chapter 16

"You should definetly work here at UA, All Might. I could always use another teacher and given that you can only hold your big form for a few measie hours, it would be benifitial, no? I have the papers right here in paws. All you have to do it come over for a visit." Nezu's voice rang clearly through the phone reciever.

Toshinori slouched in his dress shirt. He had just finished signing away the rest of his paper work -the rest going to Detective Tsukauchi, due to their arrangment- and was about to start heading home. It had been a long day of constant hero and he almost went over his limit. It was getting harder and harder to save people through out the entire day and teaching in that form wouldn't really help much with his time limit. "Nezu, I understand that you want me to settle down and find a successor, but I can't just stop. There are still villains out there just as powerful as All For One. There's still work to do, and I can't stop prematurely. You...probably already knew that." He rubbed at his neck and wondered how often that happened to Nezu.

The mammal gave a soft laugh. "Yes, I do, but it is good for you to speak your mind ever once in a while. How about we make a deal? If you join us at UA, then you can take a certain aspiring hero that I've had my eye on for a while now. He truely understands the meaning of heroism and shines bright for everyone around him. I would even go as far as to say that he could be come the next Symbol of Peace, and sooner than letter."

Toshinori could hear the pride in Nezu's words. He always cared about his students, even though he wasn't the one teaching them, but he never praised someone like this. The mammal typically saw humans as monsterous creatures, hungry for power and fame because of his years in a lab. If he was speaking about a human so highly, then this kid must be good. "This kid must really be something, but I don't want to just ship my quirk off to someone I barely know." That wasn't what Nana did to him. In fact, he had seemed like more of a hopeless case than whoever this student is.

"I understand completely! How about you come over, sign these papers and I will tell you all I know about this boy? You're deteriorating, All Might and I fear for the future of One For All if you don't find a sucessor soon."

"Alright, fine. I'll drop by UA quickly, but that doesn't mean that I'm agreeing to work there. I need more time to think on it." He waited for Nezu's parting before hanging up. It wasn't exactly on the way home, but if he transformed for a short time, then he could get there in a few jumps, right? He didn't want to take a two hour train ride there, just to take the same train back. With a decision made up, Toshinori stood up from his desk and changed into his bigger form, ready to jump into the night sky.

...

Toshinori signed the papers that night. He hadn't really meant to, but after hearing all of the uses for teaching at UA, he caved. He knew that Nezu was using all kinds of persuasive skills on him, but the point that made him finally sign was the fact that if he worked at UA, he would be able to watch his successor grow a lot closer. Nana hadn't worked at UA when she was training him, but he had wished she did, several times. The relationship they had was almost sacred and meant so much to him, especially at that age. But who was to say that he would have that same relationship with his own successor? It was sad to think about, but it was realistic. He wasn't Nana and his successor wasn't him. It would be different, but he hoped for the best.

Because Toshinori signed those papers, he had been given a specific date to meet the other teachers and learn the ropes. He had never been a teacher before and would likely need a good relationship with his co-workers in order to learn as much as he could before the school year started.

That was how Toshinori found himself at UA, nervously standing behind a door, waiting for his cue to burst through and greet his new co-workers. Should he made his usual enterace? What if he accidently broke the door? Where the doors locked? What was the signal again? What if they-

"Now, give a warm welcome to our new teacher at UA." Nezu's voice carried through the door just enough to give Toshinori their signal.

With imaginary starts and flairs bursting behind him, he pushed the door open and announced his presance, loud and clear. "I am here! Bursting through the door to greet you!" He wore his biggest smile and let his silver age cape flat once, twice, before making his way to the middle of the room. The desks were set up in a U shape, making it easy for everyone to see him. He had never had troubles with stage performance, but he was starting to get nervous.

The teachers were all so different in appearence, but their expressions where roughly the same. Sure shock and surprise. There were smiles on some of their faces. Before he could get a good look at any of them specifically, Nezu started talking again. It wasn't important, just some informatoin about how working with the Symbol of Peace would go and that they shouldn't go easy on him. He had agreed with all of it, and then the mood began to change.

Both Toshinori and Nezu had agreed to show the teachers his different forms. It would be uncomfortable, awkward and probably frustating, but it was the best choice. He had so little time to use his bigger form already and having to keep it up for the entire school day would be impossible. So, once Nezu turned the time over to him, he shifted down into his true form, as disgusting as it was.

the teacher's eyes went impossibly wider. All of the smiles from before were swept away quickly, but Toshinori ignored that. He could get used to them eventually. "I, ah, I was injured servierly in a battle a few years ago, which is why I look like this. I can only hold my All Might form for three or so hours a day, making hero work very difficult. Now that I've shown you, you are all required to keep this secret among only us. Thank you for understanding." He gave a quick bow before changing back. The steam made his lung strain, but it was nothing new.

The moment the meeting ended, he was led to the teacher's lounge and computer room. His desk was near the back of the room, away from everyone else, but he liked how big the space was. There were no assigned computers, but Toshinori got the feeling that everyone had their own spot to sit in. If he accidently took someone else's computer, they likely wouldn't tell him, which made him even more nervous. He would just have to observe closely, then.

By the end of the quick tour, most of the teachers had been able to soak in the information given to them and approached him with praises. "Thank you for serving us, All Might. You really are the best hero in Japan."

"Yeah, dog! It's, like, super cool that we get to work with you, my homie!" A blonde hero shouted a bit louder than necissary.

"I never realized that you were still working with an injury!" Another one said.

Toshinori laughed, booming and loud. It stopped the various greeting and praises, gathering almost everyone's undivided attention. "Thank you for your kind words! I look forward to working with you, but I must leave! Duty calls!" Just as steam began to pour from his buldging muscles, he sprinted down the hall and exited the building. Even those who didn't agree with his ideas or didn't like him could agree that he knew how to make an exit.

...

He knew that it was going to be a rough day the moment he woke up.

It started with the pain in his side. It had been a while since his last Bad Day and he had enjoyed the time without it, but perhaps getting it over with today would be better for him in the near future. He took the pain killers that rested on his nighstand and waited for them to kick in before getting up and getting dressed. Over the years, Toshinori had learned to tolerate the pain that flaired through his side ever time he stretched or flexed. There was hero work to do, but his limit was restricted on these days. He could only tolerate two hours of being in his bigger form at least and anything more would risk further damage.

He didn't even think of calling Recovery Girl, knowing that she would't be able to do anything about it. So, he changed into his hero constume -a change of clothes in his hand, just in case he ran out of time before he could get back to his apartment in Musutafu- and left to search for crime. It wasn't diffuclt, given how often villains foolishly robbed banks or stole from stores without a care of which heroes were around.

The various fight he had participated in all seemed to mix together until he could hardly breathe without his lung sputtering blood. So, Toshinori changed back into his true form and changed his clothes in the back alleys. He shoved the heavy costume back into his little bag and marched home. Thankfully, it wasn't far, but he would need another round of pain killers to do the rest of his errands that day.

With his costume shoved into the back of his closet and a new set of boots on his feet, Toshinori left the apartment again, this time, with the goal to finish his weekly shopping. Typically, he would've gotten it all done in one day -yesturday- but there had been a hostage situation halfway through his shopping trip and needed to detain the villain.

The shopping wasn't difficult. Despite him being much thinner and not having the amazing super strength he did as All Might, he wasn't necissarily weak. He could lift nearly 90 kg of weight, depending on what it was. There had been times where Toshinori needed to defend himself in his smaller form and being able to protect himself against someone bigger was important.

With two bags of groceries, Toshinori stepped out of the grocery store just in time to see an explosion on the horizion. His pain killers were just barely starting to kick in, but it would be dangerous to change back into his All Might form. He was already at his limit and like Recovery Girl loved to say, there were other heroes. But were they as fast, strong and efficient as All Might? How much damage would happen if a rookie hero took over whatever hero was making explosions?

Toshinori was just about to head back to his apartment, leaving the fight for someone else, when he heard the conversations beside him. "If a hero doesn't get there quick, someone could get hurt. Villains are getting more risky now a days with All Might visiting the city and all."

"I know right! Just yesturday, I saw a goop villain escape a hero through the sewers! What if it got someone! Oh, just thinking of it makes me scared!"

He knew that he had little to no time left, but he could make those few mintues count. He was in pain, his lungs could barely handle his even and slow breathes, but what if someone died because he didn't act? How could he call himself the Symbol of Peace if someone died? So, Toshinori marched over to the right, grocery bags in his hands. It wasn't far, but it would take a moment.

...

It took Toshinori all of ten mintues to make it to the bridge where a child was getting attacked. It was a good move for him to act quickly. Not a single hero had showed up. He changed into his bigger form, his scar flairing with renewed pain, but he grit his teeth and pressed on. Sludge villains were difficult to deal with, but he had an idea.

"Everything's fine now! Why? because, I am here!" He shouted his catch phrase but the kid's eyes began to glaze over. Was he sufficating?! He had to act fast.

It took a single punch to knock the villain away from the boy's body. Now that the sludge was no longer obscuring the child's body, Toshinori could see that he looked about middle school age. Anger and annoyance mixed as the hero emptied a bottle of his favorite drink and scooped the unconcious villain into the container, capping the lid once he made sure that ever last bit was inside. Not only had this idiot attacked a defensless teenager, they made him waste his money.

As Toshinori turned around, he saw the boy's unconsious body and a notebook next to him. Had his punch knock both of them out? No, the boy passed out just seconds before. This was the villain's fault. After shoving the large bottle into his side pocket, Toshinori took the boy into his arms and grabbed the notebook with his emtpy hand. He set both down just a few feet away from where they originally were, but in the sun. He checked the boy for signs of breathing, and ocne he saw his chest rise and call, Toshinori turned to the notebook instead. Given the title of the -slightly burned and water damaged?- notebook, the kid was probably a fan. He opened the book to a new page and signed both pages. Maybe that would be enough of an apology for not arriving sooner.

When the boy didn't wake up withing a few mintues of falling unconcious, Toshinori began to worry. Had he been too late? What if the kid needed CPR and Toshinori lost him by signing his notebook instead? What kind of hero was he? The hero leaned down over the boy and patted his cheek, softly at first and then quickly the more time that passed. "Hey! Kid!" He tried, but got no response. He was pale and his eyes were still barely open, but only the whites of his eyes were visible. Had he really killed a child?! Could this be considered manslaughter?! teenslaughter?!

All at once, the boy's face began to move and he was awake. Toshinori stopped his patting and nearly gasped. His smile returned to his face -when had he lost it?- and he stood up again. "Welcome back to the land of the living, kid!" He shouted, breathing a soft sigh of releif. He hadn't killed anyone today. That was good. But he could begin to feel his scar burning again.

The boy shot up, immedietly shouting and squeeking about how amazing it was for All Might to be right in front of him. It was standard, if not expected. The boy asked for an autograph and screamed again when he realized that Toshinori already did that part. The boy continued to sputter out words a million miles a second and the hero only got about half of it before deciding that it was time to leave. He held back a cough, knowing that blood would come up with it. He had to get somewhere up high, where no one would see him change forms.

"It was nice to meet you, but I must go. Be careful on your way back home." Toshinori knelt down, One For All roaring through his legs. It destracted from the pain in his side, but not by much. Just as he jumped, he felt something pulling on his leg.

Toshinori nearly lost his balance in the air when he saw the same kid holding onto him. They both began to panic until the kid mentioned that if he let go, he would die. It was a good point, given how high they were in the air, but what ifs began to play through Toshinori's mind. What if the kid hadn't gotten a good grip and fell off later? Or was this Toshinori's fault? He should've checked to see where the kid was. It wasn't the first time that someone tried to grab him as he jumped away, but usually, he would push them away before he actually jumped. He was being careless.

Once they landed, the kid fell onto the ground of the roof top and gasped. Flying so high and fast in the air wasn't good for everyone and it took Toshinori a while to get it right. He couldn't help but feel irritated, though. This entire day seemed to be going quite horribly and this kid was really trying his patience. He was in pain, straineing in his form and beyond tired. All he really wanted to do was go home and forget about this kid, but that would be irresponsible. Or would it? There was an escape from the roof and this was a pretty popular building. If he knocked, someone would let him in and he could walk home. It was only fair.

The kid was saying something, but Toshinori hadn't been listening. That is, until the work quirkless came from his mouth.

"Is it possible for someone to become a hero without a quirk?" Toshinori felt a spike of adrenaline rise in his chest. That questions. It sent him back to his childhood, as far away as it was. He could hear the desperation and hopelessness in the boy's voice. This was likely a question he had asked a few others before now, only to get the same answer. No. Toshinori had shared it dream with so many people before he heard Nana's answer, but their situations were different, weren't they?

Just as Toshinori moved to speak, the blood he had been holding back slipped, along with his form.

In a matter of a few seconds, the boy went from sincere to horrified. It was a reaction he got often and after seeing it not long ago from the teachers at UA, he realzed that it wasn't a realtion he enjoyed. Suddenly, Toshinori felt tired and instead of coming up with some kind of lie to avoid the kid spilling his secret, he told the truth. He gave this boy the full, honest truth of his injury, even went as far as to show it to him. It was still red and purple and inflamed, which only made the boy panic more.

It felt cruel, to damage this kid's image of his favorite hero, is idol so brutally, but he didn't care anymore. He didn't care about anything and barely had the mind to mention that this was a secret that barley anyone knew about.

Then, the boy asked it again. Despite learning the truth about All Might and his weakening state, he still dared to ask if he could become a hero. Irritation ran high in Toshinori's chest and he barely kept a glare off of his face. This kid, Midoriya or whatever, had not only followed him onto the roof and forced him to change form infront of him, but he also wanted an answer to this stupid question.

Toshinori knew that he was upset, he knew that it was against everything he believed as a hero and Symbol of Peace, but he told that kid that he couldn't do it. He couldn't live his dreams and become a hero. In that moment, Toshinori told someone who had likely experienced years of hatred just because he was born without something that humans weren't made to have anyway, someone who depended on All Might for safety and protection, that he could never become something great.

And worst of all, he didn't reget it until the boy nearly killed himself while being far more of a hero than Toshinori had been in nearly five years. That was when Toshinori realized that he wasn't the same person he wanted to be. He wasn't the hero he had become thirty or so years ago. He wasn't the Symbol of Peace that Japan needed. This boy, Izuku Midoriya, would become a better hero than All Might ever was and Toshiori looked forward to seeing it.

"Young man, you too can become a hero."

Author's Notes: I loved writing this and yes, this is the end. I included as many headcanons as I could and if you have any of your own, please share them! Thank you all for reading it and staying patient through my long update periods. I love all of the support I got from you guys! Thank you again! 

Also, I plan to make a second part of my Villain!All Might AU some time soon, but we'll see what happens. I still have so many stories to finish!


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